The Curse
by Yannami
Summary: So he turns into a girl whenever he's kissed by a girl. No biggie! Until his childhood nemesis decides to trust his female alter-ego, thus telling "her" that one thing she would never tell "him." Then he has to play dead, a psycho crushes on him, and he falls for a trap that could lead to his imminent death. Oh, but let's not forget the biggest problem here: his childhood nemesis.
1. Prologue

x Rima x

There he goes again– chatting and laughing with _my _best friend in an attempt to win her over, not that he hasn't done that already, anyway. Amu is clearly attached to the ugly hobbit. I wonder why? Maybe it's 'cause his eyes are so alluring, not to mention annoying when he's using it to mock me. Or maybe it's because of how long and wonderful his hair is. Maybe it's because he's super adorable when he pouts, or maybe it's those dimples that could easily pierce through any girl's heart.

Well, whatever it is, I don't plan on letting him win her over. I am a much better friend than him! I am sweet! I am also a girl! I am _the_ Mashiro Ri–

"Rima-chan," Nagihiko called, tilting his head slightly to the left. It was a simple gesture, but it was enough to make my heart skip a beat.

"What?" I snapped, letting venom drip down my voice. I'm not sure what it was– the glare or the tone– that made the boy shiver a bit. Well, whatever it was, I'm glad it worked.

Nagihiko is, after all, my childhood nemesis, and I don't plan on admitting anytime soon how I really felt about him.

"You're spacing out again," he mumbled. I snorted and crossed my arms before giving him a look that could've made me look superior if he wasn't so full of confidence himself. "I'm not spacing out, pretty boy. I'm making a death wish towards you," I claimed. He didn't even flinch or anything at what I said. He just gave me a peculiar look, and I bet it could've developed into a full-on, heated glaring contest until my very sweet and bubbly friend decided to interrupt.

"Enough! Rima-tan, you're scaring me!"

I glanced at Yaya. She stood up, causing her pigtails to bob. It added cutesy to her small, pouting face– a face that Amu and other other kind-hearted human beings would've fallen for. Meaning I didn't fall for it. It was all clearly an act to help her get her way. Despite her immature ways, however, I still had respect for the girl. After all, we were both once accused of being Nagihiko's lovers so the fan girls locked us up in a closet for an entire day. Instead of wailing and crying like she normally would, Yaya spent her time comforting me since I was scared to death of small, dark places. It really meant a lot to me.

"By the way, Rima-tan! Can Yaya have some of your hot chocolate?" she plead, once again bobbing her head.

Of course, although I love this girl, there's _no way _I'm going to share my sweet hot chocolate topped with mallows and cream. I mean, I don't get this everyday! Every other day, yes, but not everyday!

I shook my head. No. Then, everyone in the group– Hotori-kun, Soma-kun, Fujisaki and Amu– covered their ears, preparing for what was to come.

"WAAAAAAAAAAH! RIMA-TAN YOU'RE BEING SO MEAN! GIMME THE HOT COCOA! GIMME THE HOT COCOA!" she pounced herself against me causing the cup to slip off my fingers. It crashed to the ground, the sound of it echoing across the cafe. Slowly, Yaya pulled away from me, bringing her hand over her mouth when she realized her mistake. "Oops. Yaya didn't mean to do that."

And so, after oh-so-kindly getting kicked out of the café, we decided to separate and head for different stores.

Hotori-kun went with Amu, who was blushing like _mad_. Yaya went with Soma-kun, who was already counting his bills, knowing very well how easily his wallet will get robbed whenever Yaya is there. Nagihiko said he'll go around on his own.

I decided to head to the bookstore, hoping that the latest volume of Gag Manga Daioh– the most awesome gag manga in the world– happens to be there.

A bell clang at my entrance in the small store, and I headed straight for the manga section. After looking through the shelves, I pouted. The series wasn't there even though it's incredibly popular nowadays. That's lame. However, before giving up, something caught my eye– a colorful book placed wrongly at the top of the "Literature" section; a book that looked awfully familiar.

The latest volume of my oh-so-beloved manga!

I ran up to it then stood on my toes before stretching my arms in an attempt to grab it. I tried again. And again. And again. After about twenty times of jumping, I decided that the book was too high for me to reach.

Cursing my height, I curled into a ball, leaning against the bookshelf, feeling hopeless. After months of waiting for this volume, I finally find it. But I can't even reach it. Talk about nerve-wrecking. Now that I think about it, though, this isn't the first time that my height has caused me pain and anguish. It isn't the first time that it has limited my abilities.

Who knows what else it can limit me from in the future.

I sighed.

It's decided then. I don't want to live anymore. There's no point to living if I can't reach the beloved and holy "Gag Manga Daioh!"

"Rima-chan?"

What is it, Nagihiko? Can't he see that I'm wallowing in my own self-pity? Why can't he respect me and leave me alone? Doesn't he know that it's rude to interrupt people's suicidal trail of thoughts? Some gentleman. He can't even take manners into consideration when he's speaking to me!

"Rima-chan, did you want this?" I felt something hard and cold nudge me on the left cheek. I lifted my face only to come face-to-face and nose-to-nose with none other that the ugly hobbit. After successfully resisting the urge to blush I identified the thing he used to nudge me with.

Gag Manga Daioh volume four!

"Give me the book," I told him, my voice low. Nagihiko shrugged before glancing at its cover. "Sure. But I didn't know that you, of all people, liked comedy," he then gave me a skeptical look. "Since when?"

Without wasting another second, I grabbed the manga from his hand and glared at him. "It's for my cousin, Fujisaki. My cousin! He loves this manga so much, especially when they do the pose and scream out bala-balance and–" I paused, realizing that Fujisaki was giving me a disbelieving look. I guess it's time to stop ranting about the manga. "Anyway, _thanks_" I said, the last word hardly leaving my lips.

Nagihiko was quiet for a while until he grinned, placing both arms behind his head in a relaxed manner. "It's okay! You just owe me a snack!"

That was when I punched him on the arm for being so full of himself, "I don't owe you anything."

"Sure sure, chipmunk. Whatever you say." See? This is one of the reasons my height has been such a disadvantage! The nicknames he comes up with everyday are harsh, I tell you!

"Don't call me that!" I spat, "shut up and die in a hole, Fujisaki!"

Later that day, I decided to go home earlier than the rest so that I could read my manga in peace within the comforts of my own bedroom. It would've been peaceful walk home. Take notice of the word "would've."

"Stop following me around, Fujisaki," I spat, trying very hard to keep my breathing even because he was so so very close and I swear, I could already get a whiff of his scent and it's really, really nice!

"I'm not following you around, Rima-chan."

"Then stop walking in the same direction as me."

"I wish I can, but my house is this way too."

I started muttering death curses at him as I continued to walk down the silent and empty town. To my surprise, he was silent. No insults, no jokes, no nothing. And maybe, just maybe I didn't like that.

Maybe I like it when we're arguing. Maybe I find it cute whenever he smirks. But I still find it annoying when his comebacks are so good that I couldn't make a witty remark.

"Hey Rima-chan, can you feel that?"

"Huh?" I said, glancing at him. He wasn't looking at me. He was looking at the sky. "Feel what?"

"Water,"

As if on cue, I felt a drop of water fall on my arm. Before I could look at the sky myself, the drops began to pick-up until it was full-blown raining.

"Darn," I muttered, looking aimlessly around for any sight of shelter. I like this sundress I'm wearing. It was given to me by my dad. This year is one of the few years that he actually remembered my birthday, and this dress is what he got me. There is no way I'll allow mud and water to dirty it.

My attention shifted to the sound of rustling beside me. I turned around, only to find Nagihiko unfolding the sleeves of his coat. I thought for a moment that he was doing that to cover his arms but then he removed it. I felt a strange sensation fill up my cheeks as I watched him place the coat over my head.

"Wear this while we look for some sort of shelter," he said.

Nagihiko was now wearing an Oxford which was drenched, causing the cloth to stick to his skin, showing me his well-defined chest. And then there was his face, wet, with his signature smirk lighting up his features.

Oh god. I think my head is going to explode. Oh, the things I would give up just to be able to squeal like one of his normal, rabid fan-girls when put in this situation. Oh god!

"Don't blame me if you catch a cold. You offered this coat yourself" I said, keeping my voice stoic and steady. He shrugged before placing a hand in his pocket.

"Like you said, chibi. It's only right for a guy to save a girl in distress"

After awhile, Nagihiko and I found ourselves taking shelter in a deserted little stall. We were silent as we waited for the rain to stop. It didn't. And it didn't look like it was going to let up any time soon either. Soon, it was darker, and I realized that it was about time I headed home.

"Did you bring your phone, you ugly hobbit?" I asked, not bothering to look up at him.

"No. Did you, Queen of midgets?"

"Nah"

This was going to be a long night.


	2. The kiss

**Chapter 2**

x Nagihiko x

So when I woke up this morning, I instantly regretted giving up my coat and forgetting to change out of my wet clothes before bed because what greeted my new day was a big, painful pang in the head. At first, I decided that it was a temporary thing. But then a few minutes passed since I woke up and the pain was still there. I realized that I was in no condition to go to school, but I can't afford to miss it, especially today.

After getting up despite the dumbbell which was my head, I headed for the bathroom, looked up at the mirror and saw with utmost horror that my face, especially my nose and my eyes, were red, making it look like I've been crying.

_She_ will assume that I cried and will mock me to no end. She could hurl as many insults as she wants for me today, and my mind won't be quick enough to make 'just-as-insulting' comebacks. I sighed, deciding that other than the basketball period, today wouldn't be something to look forward to. Then I began doing my usual routine before school.

Going down the stairs, my mom must've noticed my condition because she raised her brows and came to me, her floral kimono being dragged across our kitchen floor as she did so.

"Nagihiko, are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, mom. I'm fine!" I said, sending her a lazy smile. The look on her face after I said that told me that she didn't buy it. I was right. The next thing I knew, she was pressing her forehead against mine to feel my temperature, and I cursed her maternal instinct for being so precise. When she pulled away, there was a frown on her face.

"You don't look fine to me. Don't go to school today. You need to take a break!"

"But I'm half a school year away from getting a perfect record!" I reasoned, trying hard to keep my voice steady.

"Your school record will be the last thing on your mind when you collapse in the middle of class."

BAM! Bull's eye. Why can't she be wrong sometimes? What she said made complete sense but I cannot and I will not miss school today. We have two periods of basketball to make up for the times that classes were suspended. I can't bear to miss that! Besides, I don't feel anywhere close to fainting now or anytime soon. By the time this develops into flu, it'll be the weekend. And by the time that it's Monday, I should be well, then.

"I'll take it easy today. I promise." I said, hoping that I didn't look that bad as I looked my mom in the eye. She seemed to be thinking about it for a moment until she sighed.

"Okay, then. But at least let me ask the chauffer to take you there."

Despite the fact that it was more convenient, I didn't really like getting to my destinations via car. I would rather walk with Amu-chan and the others. It was livelier, and it made me feel like I fit in. And by "fit in" I meant I felt like a normal teenager that didn't have a dark family past and a dangerous, not to mention embarrassing family curse. It also meant that I didn't have to worry about the rich, oftentimes snobby girls that my mom wanted to set me up with to ensure that our filthy rich family could broaden their connections.

"I feel bad, honey. The last time we used the convertible, you were nine. Tell the chauffer, Takagi-kun to use it on your way to school, ne?"

My mom, however, doesn't really want me to fit in. She wants me to stand out because of the family's background. Our family's surname holds great pride, and she wants to make sure that everyone knows it.

"So will you have Takagi-kun drive you to school?"

I guess that it's the only way to convince her to let me go. "Sure," I replied with a stuffy nose before heading out to the gate. About a minute later, the convertible was there. After getting in, I gave Takagi-kun instructions on where I wanted to go.

"Amu-chan's house," I said, frowning slightly because of how hoarse my voice has become.

Because of the circumstances, I was the first one to her house. I didn't have to explain to her why I couldn't have the driver bring me all the way to school or why I came there in a car. It happens a lot. Like I said, my mom prefers it if I travel by car. ("Girls don't like sweaty guys!" she once told me).

Amu-chan and I chat for about five minutes, majority of the talk being about why I looked like trash at the moment.

"You're not sad are you, Nagihiko? You look like you've been crying all night!"

"I didn't cry," I smiled, sniffing. "I'm just-"

"Good morning!"

Amu-chan and I swiveled our heads to the direction of the voice: Hotori-kun. Just as expected, when Amu saw him, she swooned. And when the two of them spoke, I decided that my existence has long been forgotten.

Eventually, Yaya-chan and Soma-kun came, and the topic between the five of us as we lounged around was the possible reason that Rima-chan is late.

"Maybe she overslept?" Hotori-kun suggested, fidgeting with his green tie.

"Maybe she's playing soccer and got carried away!" Soma-kun grinned, doing a thumb's up.

Yaya voiced out everyone else's disagreement. "No, Kukai! Rima-tan hates playing outdoors!"

"Hey, could she possibly have been abducted? You know, that happened to her once, right?" Amu-chan whispered.

However, Yaya-chan seemed to get the wrong idea. "By what? Aliens?"

"Y-Yaya! That's impossible!" Amu retorted, though I could clearly see her legs shaking. If Rima-chan was here, I bet she would've prolonged the scare. However, she wasn't, so I was amused by how far the assumptions have developed.

"But recently on the telly, I saw some girl claiming that she saw UFO's landing in Hokkaido!" Yaya said. Amu froze, all hints of life escaping. Then Yaya gasped as some sort of twisted realization dawned upon her. "Hey, maybe the aliens brought her to candy land!" she paused before scrunching up her face. We all froze. Here it comes:

"NO! YAYA WANTS TO GO TO CANDY LAND! WHY DIDN'T RIMA-TAN TAKE ME WITH HER TO CANDY LAND?"

"What are you all blabbering about?" a soft, stoic voice said. We all turned to its source, and I instantly felt myself stiffen when I saw her eyes giving me a sour, skeptical look.

"Rima-chan,"

"Fujisaki," she nodded her head, acknowledging my existence and turned to Amu, all smiles now.

"Amu! What is it about me not taking Yaya to candy land?" she asked, cocking her head to the side, her face looking scarily angelic. Amu-chan fell for it. "It's nothing, Rima!" she said, waving her hand dismissively. Then, she once again fixated her attention on me. There was an eerie silence surrounding all of us as her eyes traveled from my feet, to my head, and finally, stayed on my face. We all knew that another argument between us was going to happen, and for the first time, I felt that I wasn't ready for it.

"Girly-boy, you look like you've been crying," she smirked.

"Do I?"

"Yes. In fact, your voice sounds kind of bad. Were you crying this morning?"

"I'm obviously sick, Rima-chan,"

She crossed her arms then twisted her mouth a little bit as she gave me a sour look. "So now you admit it."

For some odd reason, I felt the tips of my lips involuntarily tilt up as if I unconsciously liked debating with her. Maybe, just maybe I find it quite amusing to see someone so small have such a strong personality.

"I wasn't denying it, Rima-chan. I think I have a fever,"

"You know what I meant by sick"

"Yes, I suppose I do. It means I'm ill"

"So now you're playing dumb?"

"I'm not playing dumb. Rima-chan, are you?"

"Hey! Cut it out! We're late!" Amu cried.

x x x

It was halfway through changing into our basketball uniforms did I realize that playing basketball when I'm obviously on the verge of collapsing wasn't a very good idea.

I can't believe I just thought that.

"Hey! Fujisaki!" I heard a guy yell before feeling something hard bounce against my head. For a moment, the world twisted and turned so I fell on my knees. Then, after looking up, I realized that I've been hit by a basketball. "Omigod, Fujisaki! I'm so sorry!" I heard the voice of that same guy cry. I heard footsteps padding towards me, and I looked up and saw one of my teammates hovering over me. "I thought you'd catch it."

"That's what I'd normally do. Don't worry about it." I smiled, getting on my feet. He made a sigh of relief and told me he'd see me in the court for gym class.

When I came to the gym, instead of going straight to the court like I normally would, I headed for the bleachers and collapsed. Soma-kun was the first to notice my lack of enthusiasm towards the sport. He headed straight for me, his brows slightly creased.

"Yo, Fujisaki! You alright?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it. I just need to rest a little bit."

"Rest from doing what?"

He playfully leaned on my shoulder then sighed, awaiting the reply that never came. It's the beginning of the day. We practically didn't do anything yet.

Hotori-kun and Amu-chan were the next ones headed towards us.

"How are you not in the court, Fujisaki-kun?"

"Nagihiko, is it really okay for you to be here? You're looking worse by the second."

Rima-chan scuttled towards Amu, and I waited for a stabbing remark that never came. Surprised, I glanced up at her. She refused to meet my gaze. She just kept her eyes to the group of boys playing the game.

Well, looks like the girl who's got the entire male population in Seiyo under her control is infatuated by a bunch of basketball players. I could use that against her sometime.

"Like I said. I'm fine." I assured them.

There was a soft huff coming from behind Amu-chan and we all turned to see Rima-chan giving me a strange look. Then, to my surprise, she came over to me and pressed a palm against my forehead. I froze. So did everyone else.

"You're hot," she whispered, her brows slightly narrowing.

"Uh, thank you?"

Realizing what I meant, her eyes widened.

"Not in that sense, idiot!" Everyone laughed, causing Rima-tan to turn pink. She cursed everyone in the group whilst glaring them down and eventually, the laugh subsided. Then she turned to look at me, her face red with possibly anger. "I hope that you slip on a ball and break your ankle," she muttered, looking at me in a way that a cat would look at a mouse.

When our coach entered, he assigned two leaders to pick their team mates. Both teams wanted me. That's why the coach assigned me to the team whose leader was unfortunately Saaya Yamabuki.

"Oh! Nagihiko-sama! I'm so glad that you chose my team!" She tried to sneak a hug but I dodged then walked _really _far away from her.

I heard the coach's whistle, and before a second could even pass, the ball was immediately passed on to me. I dribbled it, dodged some opponents then jumped to shoot the ball, only when I jumped, my vision blurred and my head ached.

The ball slipped from my hands and I fell on my back.

I signaled that I was okay then continued to play.

I slipped, fell, missed…

Slipped…

Missed…

People were starting to murmur. Eventually, our team lost. Amu-chan was the first to run to me and offer me some water.

"Seriously, Nagihiko. I think you should go home," she said, this time, her voice sounded worried. Rima-chan was standing beside her, surprisingly quiet.

"I'll just wait for the day to end. I'll rest when I get home."

"You're sweating like mad and it's gross, Fujisaki. Why don't you rest _while_ you're not dripping in sweat, hmm?" Rima-tan spat, suddenly turning her gaze to me.

When I smiled and said "Okay," I thought I saw her frown for a split second. But then again, maybe that's just my head playing around with me. And although I knew that she wasn't really trying to help me, she did have a point. If even Rima-chan is telling me to rest, then I probably should.

I told the coach that I needed to go to the clinic and he instantly understood. When he asked the two classes who wanted to take me there, unfortunately, Yamabuki-san's hand was the first one to shoot up. As we left, I could feel the eyes of everyone in class on me.

x x x

Although I was really dizzy, I refused to lean on Yamabuki-san's shoulder. Now, before you think that I'm mean, or unapproachable, or un-suave when it comes to a die-hard fan girl, let me tell you that _this _fan girl is _not_ normal.

See, once she tried to kiss me; then, she kidnapped me; then she '_accidentally_' got locked in the same closet as me and almost made out with me.

Recently, I found three notebooks filled with pictures of me- pictures that I didn't even know existed! Heck, in one of the pictures, I was sleeping during English class! I don't want to get caught sleeping in English class! I mean, they could show it to the principal and my perfect reputation would be ruined. Of course, I think I should be more concerned about the drool leaving my lips in that photo but the _sleeping _part is worse 'cause it could definitely change how my English teacher sees me.

But then that was nothing compared to this _one_ thing she did. It made me terrified of her. The thing is, somehow, despite Rima-chan's mob of fan-boys and her very smart and intimidating personality, she managed to get to her and trap her in a closet, along with Yaya-chan, for an entire day. If Hotori-kun wasn't there to get the librarian to open it up for us (using his sparkly attack, of course,) who knows how long they could've stayed there? And when she finally got away, well, I realized that the Rima-chan I encounter everyday is actually already very nice.

"Nagihiko-sama~" I flinched at the sound of Yamabuki-san's voice, "you can lean on me if you want! You're dizzy, right?"

"I can walk. Don't worry about it"

Suddenly, she leaned on me then started tracing circles across my chest.

"Are you suuure?"

Creepycreepycreepy_creepy_

I pushed her away as gently as I could, slightly wobbling in the process.

"Yes"

I walked ahead of her, glad that my vision and mind are clearing up. Maybe my fever isn't as high as I thought. Maybe all I needed to do was prevent myself from doing rough play. Maybe-

"Nagihiko-sama!" Yamabuki-san wailed, scurrying after me. I wasn't sure whether I should stop and wait for her (which is the right thing to do) or walk faster, completely ignoring her (which is what I _really_ wanted to do.) I didn't have the time to make up my mind, though, because she grabbed me, cupped my face then forced our lips to meet.

When we kissed, I felt my joints freeze and my mind fill with thoughts- thoughts that were too fast for me to point out.

It was when she pulled away (after around seven seconds, mind you) that I found myself and realized that I wasn't breathing.

She flushed then curled her kinky hair while saying some probably cheesy stuff- stuff that I couldn't listen to at the moment.

She _kissed _me.

She _stole_ my first kiss! And I don't want to sound like a chic thinking that, but I couldn't help it! After all, my mom did once warn me about some curse in the family, and I'm pretty sure that I have it. Until it is triggered, then I'm completely normal. And the only way to trigger it is if I'm kissed in the lips by some girl who isn't related to me in any way. Well, ha! Now it's triggered, and I will have to go through the pain of changing into a girl whenever a girl kisses me even if it's not on the lips.

"Move it, Yamabuki-san" I let my bangs cover the expression on my face as I shoved myself past her, not caring that I left her gaping.

"_If you were reckless enough to disobey the rules of the curse, you'll only have five minutes before the effects start showing. Within that five minutes, you'll have to somehow get some female clothing and wear them. Don't let anyone know that you are Nagihiko Fujisaki, then. The family curse must never be revealed."_

"Only five minutes, huh?" I chuckled darkly under my breath as I made my way to the girls' locker room.

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chappie! Took me a lot of edits and...ANYWAYS, the next chapter is when everything starts making sense. Enjoy!**

And if you guys have already read this before, you might notice that I kind of edited the way I wrote this. Same with chapter 1. I'm thinking of doing the same with chapter three but it's looooonf! And I still need to make the latest chapters for this story!  



	3. The inevitable curse

**Chapter 3**

**Manami **

**Note* Manami and Wakana aren't OC's. They're Amu's friends. Remember? The two girls that aren't in the guardians?**

**Manami (brown haired)**

**Wakana (blue haired)**

**Remember? :D**

**anyway…**

**o.O.o.O.o**

"Fujisaki-kun was really weird today, right, Wakana?" I said as I removed my school blouse. Wakana-san, who was now wearing only _the cutest_ little blue bra matched with _the cutest _little panty that I've ever seen, nodded with the same concerned look on her face.

"He _never _misses a hoop but today, he was the cause of his team's loss!"

I sighed as I struggled to open my locker containing the school gym clothes and rubber shoes.

"And I was _so _looking forward to watching him play! He's just so coo!" I squealed in an eager attempt to make Wakana-san as excited as I was. Knowing her, however, she would disagree.

Which she did.

"Nah! Kukai-sama is much cooler!" She wailed her arms, getting caught up in the excitement.

"But we can both agree that Tadase-kun is-"

Before I could continue my sentence, we heard the ruffling and shuffling coming from the other side of the locker room. Wakana-san and I froze, thinking that maybe it's a teacher. That would _really _be bad because if it were a teacher, then we'd be caught and noted as 'late for gym class', which we are.

An hour has already passed- there's only one more hour left for gym and we're just getting dressed up!

.god.

What if it's Sanjo-sensei, with her strict and _horrifying_ eyes and punctual personality!

We'll be dead!

Dead!

And then maybe the school will call my dad, telling him to scold me! And then he'll scold me! _And then _he'll strip me of my rights to be a florist in the future!

No! I want to be a florist!

"Q-quick, Manami-san! H-hide!" Wakana-san whisper-yelled as she slammed the both of us into a locker, causing a loud metallic sound to echo across the room.

"Oops" She gasped as footsteps started to head towards us. "I didn't mean to attract attention…" She cried quietly.

We waited in agony as the footsteps got closer and closer.

Step…

Step…

Step…

_Step…_

The figure of the footsteps' owner slowly became visible. Wakana-san and I felt our eyes widen and our jaws drop.

I heard a heavy breathing beside me, and I realized that Wakana-san was getting ready to use her karate skills to send the familiar-looking person flying across the room…until we realized that this person isn't who we thought she would be…

…because she's a girl.

…And not only is she a girl…

She's a girl that looks completely- if not for the hips, breast and face- like Nagihiko Fujisaki. I heard Wakana-san gasp beside me before I realized that I've been holding back a gasp of my own.

The girl's head swiveled for a moment until her gaze locked on us.

Then, for some unexplainable reason, her eyes widened, her body tensed and her face reddened- _really _reddened. As in, the color of rose red!

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-" She stopped midway to flinch, as if her very own voice shocked her. We continued to stare at the girl.

She was pretty. She had a nice figure. Her voice was a melodious soprano.

She was like the female version of Nagihiko-kun, and I couldn't help but feel jealous of her. Not that I was planning to be mean to her, though.

I also couldn't help but notice how strange she is. For a girl that looks and sounds incredibly girly, she didn't dance around nor clench her fist to her chest like an average, nervous girl would. In fact, she held her ground, clenched both fists to the side then kept her head up.

"Are you a student here?" Wakana-san asked while standing up to get her shirt, which messily lay on the bench- she did so all without leaving her gaze on the girl. The girl, still blushing, opened her mouth a multiple times with no sound coming out. Finally, she shook her head. Three seconds passed before she found her voice.

"No. I'm actually here to pick up my brother. I heard she had the flu"

And then it hit me.

I raised my hands in excitement then flung myself unto her, grabbing both her hands while jumping in excitement as I wailed, "Are you…Nagihiko Fujisaki's sister?"

I felt her hands, which were too warm to consider healthy, stiffen at the contact.

"Y-yes…"

I held our position without dropping my smile. However, she was looking past my shoulder- at Wakana-san, who was now putting her shorts on.

"B-by the way, could you…um…wear a shirt or something…?" She whispered after finally dropping her gaze from Wakana-san.

Strange girl.

"Okay!" I let go them scurried to my locker. When I saw her turn her back to leave, I noticed that the poor girl's clothes hung loosely around her.

"Stop!" I yelled. She turned to me, blinking twice in curiosity.

I hastily unlocked my locker, grabbed a tank top and a floral mini skirt, slipped a black ponytail from my wrist before heading to her.

"I thought I told you to wear a-"

"Never mind that. Ta-da!" I showed her the garments. She raised her brows at me and I had to sigh at the girl's denseness.

"Aren't they cute? Everyone in class wants to try these on, but I like these too much to actually lend them to anybody" I smirked as Wakana-san made her way towards me and the confused girl. "I realize that it's such a waste to hide your fine structure behind boys' gym clothes so I'll lend you these!"

The girl paled, all hints of life escaping her face.

"I need to wear _that_?" She was glaring at the skirt I held, which hurt me a little. I was about to tell her, "Nevermind" until Wakana-san got in between us.

"You're just surprised to be given the opportunity to wear such a cute outfit, aren't 'cha! _No girl_ in this world wouldn't want to wear this!"

At the last sentence, a strange expression flooded the girl's face before it returned to it's usual scared expression. After awhile, she smiled.

"Y-yes…" She muttered. With trembling hands, she held the garments. She examined the ruffles with a weird face before turning her face back at us with a smile. "I would _love _to wear this. Thanks!"

**Nagihiko**

**o.O.o.O.o**

Curse bras.

Curse bras _to hell_.

_How can ladies live with this_?

With gritted teeth, I continued to scratch at my back where the bra was hooked.

…And _why the heck_ do they need to be ruffled? It's not like anyone will see anything underneath! Maybe this is why Rima-chan is always angry.

Imagine sweating into these…things!

As I continued to curse the female garment, a wind breezed by me, causing my extra mini-skirt to fly up. I was stuck between the decision of scratching the skin in contact with the monstrous bra or pulling the skirt down to keep anyone from seeing underneath. Not that there was anyone around in where I'm at.

Jeez.

Curse skirts _to hell_, too…

Oww…

And my head is hurting because of this _rubber band_ tied around my hair.

With a sigh, I slipped the black monster which girls would rather call a 'pony tail' off my hair before settling in a bench underneath a cherry blossom.

I looked around me with a sigh.

Now, for the rest of my life, whenever a girl kisses me in any part of the face or head, I'll turn into this…_female_. I'll turn into a _girl_. I'll stay a girl for who-knows-how-long.

A minute? Day? Week? Month? I don't know how long I'll be in a girl's body before I'm somehow reverted back to my real form!

I could feel my manliness slipping away with every scratch of my back.

Darn that crazy fan girl…

I leaned back in the bench with a loud sigh. What do I do now? Do I head back to class? Do I go home? I can go home, but I have no records of having been to the clinic. They will all think that I cut classes.

…Maybe I could disguise as my boy self again, head to the clinic and go home…?

I can't do that. I have these two…bulks in my chest area that will keep everyone from believing that I am a boy.

I sighed then closed my eyes.

Why does it even matter?

I was damned the moment I allowed Yamabuki-san to kiss me.

With one last sigh, I began to drift into unconsciousness. Before I was completely asleep, though, a poke on the cheek from somebody behind startled me awake. I needn't look to see who it was the moment I heard the uniquely soft voice start yelling at me in a language that could only belong to one person.

"Wake up, you lazy purple creep! Amu's been worried sick about you! You didn't even go to the clinic! I thought for sure that you died- not that I minded- but then I see that you're here being all carefree and annoying!"

_Rima-chan…_

I instantly panicked, but I dared not show it. However, being a great actress just like me, she must've noticed my shock and hesitation. It didn't help that I never spoke or turned to look at her. I knew that it was wrong but I didn't know how to act around her.

Should I be shy? Casual? Kind? Awkward?

'Female Nagihiko' has yet to meet Rima Mashiro. I'm not supposed to know her yet! How do I act around somebody that I know, but must pretend not to know?

Being reckless, I turned to her with a smile. A smile that even I knew was too stiff to consider genuine.

"Who are you?" I mumbled.

Unfortunately, she failed to notice the more feminine angles of my face. Rima-chan rolled her eyes.

"Don't be stupid, Girly-man. How can I fall for such a _terrible_ lie?"

To my horror, she rounded up the corner then walked in front of me. She opened her mouth to yell at me some more until her eyes fixed on what I was wearing.

Honey-colored eyes bulged out of their sockets as she scrutinized my attire from my feet, then finally to my face.

A look of pure horror etched into her face.

"_Oh my god_. Fujisaki, are you gay?" She gasped, the usual coolness in her voice and face completely erased.

Normally, I would've laughed at her expression but right now, I couldn't because I'm sure that I held the same expression as her.

A lot of comebacks raced through my mind.

'_See the chest? Does that answer your question?'_

'_Are you blind? Can't you see that I'm a girl?'_

'_I don't even know you. And the name's -insert girly name-'_

But instead, I ended up saying in a trembling voice, "No".

Rima-chan shook her head in disbelief before shutting her eyes, slamming her head, opening her eyes and then gasping all over again.

"_Why_ didn't you tell me you were gay?"

"I am not gay!" That came out naturally. Finally, she noticed the voice because she stopped yelling and fuming then gave me a look, urging me to explain.

"I'm Nagihiko's twin…uh…"

_Name? Name? Mimi? Lulu? Najika? Nana? Koko?_

"…Nadeshiko!" I mentally sighed in relief for coming up with a decent name for my female alter ego. "I'm Nagihiko's twin sister. I came to pick him up but…it looks like the chauffer found him _really _sick and decided to take him home, forgetting to inform the school. I was only told that now so I'm…chilling"

A thoughtful look crossed Rima-chan's face.

"Oh. I see…" She clutched the small sling bag at her side. After a few seconds, she opened it, grabbed a brown cloth from inside before handing it to me.

"I wanted…-no-…_needed_ to return this to him, but seeing that he's not here right now, could you be the one to do it?" I got the cloth from her hands, which I now noticed were a lot smaller compared to mine, before knowing what the cloth actually was.

It was the coat I lent her yesterday.

I was almost shocked when I saw that it was washed, ironed and folded- neatly, if I may add. She planned to give it to 'Nagihiko' without covering it in puke! Who knew that Rima-tan had an ounce of kindness in her heart! I mean, considering that she's not around Amu-chan whom she claims to be _her_ best friend.

"Thank you…" I mumbled. She nodded her head before turning her back to walk away.

Before she could take a step away from me, I felt something underneath the coat. Curious, I dug through my garment to see what it was.

"Is this…a gag manga?" I gasped , realizing my mistake to say it aloud a second too late. Rima-tan stopped dead in her tracks before turning to me with a slightly embarrassed, mostly angry expression. She grabbed the book from me then shrieked.

"That's right! I secretly _love_ comedy! You've got a problem with that?"

"N-no. It's just that…it's so different from how you usually are…"

She narrowed her eyes.

"You don't know me…"

Oh shoot.

"Y-yes I do. My brother's told me things about you and-"

She gasped aloud before I could continue my sentence. "Your_ brother_. Don't you dare tell him about me liking these stuff!"

At this point, I found myself stifling laughter. Who would've thought that Rima-tan- the ice queen- would get so excited over a little gag manga.

"I won't" I finally said before adding to help her ease a little, "besides, it's not such a bad thing to hate comedy. I…my _brother_, though he's incredibly good at keeping a good atmosphere, is incredibly bad around kids and crying girls"

"Nonsense! I've known that a long time ago and I didn't do as much as flinch from the shock when I found out! Liking comedy is embarrassing!" She wailed.

"I don't think it's embarrassing. Honestly, it's kinda cute"

All traces of anxiety and embarrassment was replaced by a calm glare.

"No it's not"

Now, she was standing in front of me. The eyes she used to glare penetrated right through me.

"You'll tell everyone, won't you. That I like comedy…" She whispered, her expression softening.

I shook my head then offered her the space beside me. Before I knew it, we were seated beside each other, with her constantly giving me a suspicious look.

I took a deep breath before saying the things I thought I'd never tell Rima-chan.

"When I was six, I used to bite off my toenails. When I was twelve, I considered changing religions so I can be a preist…uh…I mean nun after a gir-guy told me some sickeningly sweet quotes. Oh, and before I forget…Nagihiko…only memorizes the table of eight until sixteen, seeing that he didn't think that it would be important back then…" I paused before looking at Rima-tan to see how she was coping. She looked half amused, and half suspicious.

"Now, if I tell anyone about you liking comedy, you can tell everyone those embarrassing things about me and my _beloved_ brother…"

She let out a scoff before turning back to me with a small smile. And no, for the first time, her smile (which happens to be directed at me) didn't have the slightest glint of evil in it.

"It doesn't sound to me like you love your brother very much but…as much as I want to tell everyone about those secrets, I won't. I'll trust you" She said.

"Thanks" I replied. The smile that came with my thanks, I realized, was genuine. It was actually the first genuine smile I had since the curse first took effect.

Surprisingly, it was my 'mortal enemy' (or at least, that's what Rima-tan considers me) that caused it.

"By the way, Rima-chan" I paused before adding to ease her suspicion, "at least…that's what my brother told me your name was…" When a satisfied look washed over her face, I continued. "Why do you…hate Nagihiko so much?"

To my surprise, she flinched before clutching her skirt and then looking down at her swinging legs which hardly touched the ground.

"I don't hate him. I like him" She said, her expression and tone surprisingly calm despite what she's saying.

I froze, and all I could say "Heh?"

She frowned then looked at me straight in the eye, causing my breathing and mask to fail me.

"I said that I like him. In fact, I like him _a lot_. By now, shouldn't you be used to girls all over the place claiming that they like your brother? Why do you look so shocked?"

Silence ensured. I swear, I could hear the gust of the wind and the rustling of the cherry blossom tree above us.

Speak, you petty excuse for a boy! Speak!

And so I tried to speak. But then I realized that even my voice has failed me. I felt the words stuck between my throat.

To Rima-tan, however, the silence wasn't awkward. In fact, it seemed peaceful.

She got a blossom that landed on her lap then twirled it as she continued, "Of course, the first time that I met him, I didn't like him- especially since he was taking my best friend away from me. He's always annoying me and he's always too proud and all but eventually I realized that …when he wants something, he's so cute and very cool and determined and all. That Nagihiko…" She let a smile creep unto her cheeks as she looked at the sky. "I _really _like him!"

It took me several seconds to process what she said. When it did, I looked at Rima-tan. She didn't have a poker face on like she normally would nor was she sending me a deadly glare.

She was smiling, slightly, at the sakura petal.

That's when I realized that if I wanted to stay alive, Rima-tan _must_ be the last person to know about my curse.


	4. Passing notes

**Chapter 4**

**Rima**

**o.O.o.O.o**

What could I say? It's another normal, lackluster day:

"Ah! Rima-tan! Yaya missed you so much! It's been _soooo_ long! Yaya hasn't seen you for fourteen hours! WAAAAAAAAH!" Yaya wailed whilst glomping me to the dirt.

Behind me, by the bleachers near the field, a tanned handsome boy with brown, messy hair was 'chatting' with a pretty pink-haired girl.

"Yo, Hinamori! Let's do thirty laps for today!"

"What! Kukai, No, no no NOOOOooooooooo" The girl's screams faded as the boy dragged her further away from us- into the circular lane in the field.

A blonde boy with light facial features and a pair of magenta eyes was sitting alone in the bleachers, screaming at the boy that was dragging the girl, "Soma-kun! There's a bump in the lane! Careful not to tri- WATCH OUT!"

BAM!

"Kukai! Look! Now my uniform's all dirty!"

"Geez! Why didn't anyone tell me about a loose bump in this lane?"

The blonde-haired boy sighed.

Yaya got off me, allowing me to sit back up. When I _did _get up, I felt my hair, only to groan.

"Yaya, don't you know how hard it is to fix my hair? It's like taming eighty-eighty million venomous snakes and you messed it up just like that!"

"But Rima-tan…"

"By the way…" Amu was dusting off the dirt in her uniform as she made her way towards me. "Nagihiko isn't here yet. Maybe he didn't receive our call or maybe he's too sick to come by to deliver the homework…"

"WAAAH! Yaya hopes that he'll be well by Saturday! Yaya has tickets for all of us for Hoshina Utau's next concert!"

The worry in Amu's eyes was replaced by a glimmer of excitement. She turned to Yaya then exclaimed, "Utau Hoshina, as in _the _Utau Hoshina?"

"Yes!" Yaya screamed.

Soma-kun walked up from behind Amu then yawned.

"She's just another boring diva celebrity who will die from eating too little. What is it with divas and anorexia anyway?" He grumbled. This caused the only two members of the group who are interested in girly stuff to gasp.

"KUKAI!" Yaya scolded.

"Not all of them die from that! Some die because of suicide, some die because they drank too much alchohol, some die because of lung cancer, some die because they were murdered while some die because they're just too old!" Amu wailed.

"Back to the topic of the purple-headed freak" I said, causing everyone to look at me. "There're only eight minutes before the first bell rings. Looks like he won't come today after all so Yaya…too bad. You can't copy off his homework this time. Everyone, we have to get back to class. Lunch break is almost over."

Yaya cried then begged Kukai to give her the answers, but the boy said that he didn't have such a homework to begin with. Soma-kun kun is my classmate and we're lucky to not be under Sanjo-sensei.

Poor girl. I feel sorry for her. I really do.

After all, Sanjo-sensei- sends anyone who doesn't do the homework that she assigns to stand on one leg while facing the wall for an entire hour. Not that it's a problem for Yaya though (she's a ballerina). It's the pride that you lose by doing this.

Hours later, I was taking down notes for science until I was oh-so-rudely interrupted by a piece of paper crumpled into a ball accurately landing at the center of my desk.

With a groan, I opened the piece of paper.

_Tadase-kun, Kukai, Yaya and I are visiting Nagihiko after class. We're worried about him. I know that you probably won't want to but I'll ask anyway- do you wanna come? _

_- Amu_

Going to Nagihiko's house…

I had to repress a blush at the very thought.

I mean…despite being pretty 'close with him' I've never been to his house. In all honesty, I am interested to know what kind of lifestyle he lives.

Also, if I do go there, I could see Nadeshiko again.

If I don't see her (though hopefully I do) I could demand Nagihiko to explain the whole twin ordeal…

I sighed then wrote:

_Since I can't think of anything more interesting to do for today, I guess I'll go. Who knows- I could find something to use against him- like a diary of some sort!_

_Yours Truly,_

_Rima_

When Nikaidou-sensei wasn't looking, I tossed the balled paper to Amu, whose desk was by the window two rows behind me.

I watched as a wide grin made its way to her face after reading my response. She turned to Hotori-kun - who was two rows behind me, one seat from Amu- then gave him an okay signal. He remained silent then stared at me. Suddenly, he bent down, tore off a page from his notebook then started writing something. When he was done, he folded it into a plane then, with great accuracy, threw it to my lap.

Curious, I unfolded the paper plane then- _oh my god_! What have they done to Hotori Tadase- the _only_ innocent being in this world?

_Mashiro-san,_

_I know that you've been staring at Fujisaki-kun's desk for the past two hours._

_-Tadase_

I decided not to reply. Instead, I continued to take notes.

The notes being…the name of Nagihiko being written in different fascinating fonts.

All the while, Kukai was sleeping.

* * *

**Hi, everyone! Thank you for all the reviews! Keeps me going, but unfortunately, school starts tomorrow (boohoo). I'll still update, though; every once in awhile.  
**

**And yes, the chapters won't be as short as this one.  
**

**Again- thanks!  
**


	5. Saaya

**Chapter 5**

**Nagihiko**

**o.O.o.O.o**

I'm feeling fine- more than fine, even. After resting and eating for hours, I feel like I could play a one-on-one game of basketball.

However, despite feeling relieved, I felt scared- horrified, even.

I still haven't told my mom that I'm already cursed.

How the hell would she react?

"Oh Nagihiko~"

Speaking of the devil…

Mom came scurrying to my bedside while carrying a bowl of miso soup.

"This is _really_ good! I had a special chef make it for you!" She said while placing the bowl in the table beside my bed

"Who?" I asked before taking a sip. After letting the flavor settle, I realized that the soup tasted..._average_; it's nothing like the one our chef normally makes. This one is bland, but decend. Still, I have no plans of telling my mom that I wasn't satisfied with it. The chef must be a close friend or something.

"Saaya-san made it"

I froze.

"Saaya what…"

"You probably don't know her but her surname is Yamabuki"

"Yamabuki-san's here?" I gasped.

Mom blinked twice before allowing a smile to spread in her face.

"Oh, you two are already acquainted? Oh, wonderful! Wonderful! That makes things easier, then!"

I could feel my heart beat in panic.

"M-makes what easier…" I shrieked.

Mom winked.

"Introducing you to each other! After all, since she's rich…" she paused before saying, her lips moving in an agonizingly slow motion "…we have decided to make her your fiance!"

Suddenly, I felt sick again.

Before I could stop the words from tumbling off my mouth, I confessed everything to my mom- how I'm already cursed and how it was Saaya who made it happen. For a moment, I thought that she was going to call off our enggagement seeing that this girl was a real psycho but then…

But then she…

_Giggled_…

"Oh yes, yes. Things _are_ indeed so much easier!"

**Rima**

**o.O.o.O.o**

Oh.

Wow.

I mean…I knew that Nagihiko was rich and all but…

…Who would've thought that his house was _this_ freakin' large?

I found myself as miniscule as an ant as I looked up- my entire neck arched-as I attempted to count the rooms of this fifty-feet tall Japanese-styled mansion. I was in forty- far from half- when I started feeling intimidated all over again then lost count.

Behind the large gate just before the very building, I could see the tops of sakura blossoms, making me guess that there are multiple sakura trees inside.

On the walls , I could see vines growing in such a neat and decorative pattern. I was almost tempted to touch the tiny flowers attached to the vines, but I figured that I was too short. I would embarrass myself just by trying to reach the bottom of the vines.

"So, you guys ready to come in?" Yaya said, her finger only a few inches away from the doorbell. Amu was the first to respond.

"NO!"

"But Amu-chi, gaping at the house like it's some sort of giant isn't going to get us inside!"

"IT IS A GIANT, YAYA!" Amu cried- pink hair flowing in many directions as she wildly moved her head in disbelief.

"I want to get this over with. Yaya, do ring the doorbell" I said in a monotone.

She saluted causing the pigtails to bob. "Yes!"

And when she rang it…

…the gate opened not long afterwards. We were greeted by an alien.

"WAAAAH!" We all screamed in unison. Suddenly, the alien spoke,

"Oh, I'm sorry to have startled you, lads. I thought that you were that annoying mailman again" the extraterrestrial brought its hands up before pulling off its face, revealing another face underneath- the face of a kind-looking old lady. It was then that I realized that the alien's face was a mere mask.

I mentally slapped myself for looking stupid before speaking, "We're here to see Nagihiko" I said. The lady's eyes glimmered after seeing me.

"Oh! The young master Nagihiko! He's-"

"May I also ask…is Nadeshiko here?" I interrupted.

The maid (and I'm guessing everyone else) gave me a skeptical look.

"I'm sorry but there is no Nadeshiko living under this roof"

What?

That's impossible. How the heck can there be no Nadeshiko? I'm sure I saw her yesterday- with my own eyes, even! She's Nagihiko's twin!

Maybe this woman is a maid? A new one?

One that doesn't know much about this family?

Or maybe she's a grandmother already suffering from amnesia!

I decided not to go on with my questionings.

"Okay, then. We're just here to see Nagihiko"

Darn it. I have _a lot_ of questions for that annoying purple-headed creep.

As we made our way to his room, Amu asked.

"Hey, Rima, who's Nadeshiko?"

I figured that everyone had the same question in mind. They were all looking at me like I was some kind of new specimen.

"Why don't you all ask Nagihiko?"

"But what if he doesn't know her?" Yaya chided. I let a dark smile make its way to my lips.

"Oh, he'd better know her. _Or else_…"

In the midst of climbing the stairs, we heard a call.

"Baaya! Come here!"

The old lady leading us stopped.

"Oh, the mistress is calling me"

Oh. So I was right about her being a maid. She must be a new one, then. She turned to us then said, "After this flight of stairs, go right then climb another flight of stairs. The last room in the left- the room by the window- that's young master Nagihiko's room!"

Before chuckling at the name they refer to Nagihiko when he's at home ('Young master'? Seriously?), I thought 'Wow this house is big'.

"Yes. Thank you" Hotori-kun smiled before the maid ran off.

So, after walking up the flight of stairs and then heading to Nagihiko's room (which happens to be the twentieth room in the left side, mind you!), I stuck my ear to his door, hoping that I can figure out something to use against him- like, maybe he plays the flute horribly, or maybe he sings princess songs to himself when he's alone.

Instead, I heard an unfamiliar voice cooing inside. It's a _girl_. My mouth fell open, and out of curiosity, everyone pressed their ears to the door too.

My heart sank.

That girl's voice isn't Nadeshiko's so…who's there cooing to him?

"W-who do you think is Fujisaki with?" Kukai whispered anxiously.

"W-what are they _doing_?" Amu shrieked, her ears still pressed on the door.

I flinched.

"Nagi-kun!"

"Don't call me that!"

"Take your shirt off!"

"My mom told you to take care of me not- Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

Panic stroke me. Without thinking, I found myself slamming the door open.

And to my utter surprise, I saw Saaya and Nagihiko on the floor.

Saaya was holding a book in her left hand while Nagihiko…was grasping Saaya tightly around the waist- his face buried in her belly.

In an anime, I figured, now would be the perfect time to run off crying and wait for the guy to come after you, tell you that it was all a misunderstanding and tell you that he loves you, only…

Nagihiko doesn't love me.

And there is no way I'm going to run off _crying_.

Besides, I don't need Nagihiko telling me that it was all a misunderstanding.

Nagihiko's never liked Saaya. There's no way he'll hug her in…such a way…

So, I…stomped towards him then glared.

"Nagihiko! You've got a lot of explaining to do! Start off with that awkward position you're in!"

He looked up at me- not shocked, not nervous; _woeful_.

"Rima-chan…" He whimpered.

"Yamabuki-san keeps stealing my baby pictures…"

**Saaya-san, you pervet! **

**Anyway, Hi, everyone! So...uh...long time no see! I wanted to update earlier on, but something _very _unfortunate happened. My USB got this virus that lead to the deletion of some files. Luckily, I got to repair it so...uh... here's an update!**


	6. He wouldn't know

**Chapter 6**

Seeing him snuggling up to her like that, I realized that now is the perfect time for me to run off crying, then wait for him to run after me, tell me that it was all a misunderstanding and that he loves me but…

… Nagihiko wouldn't run after me. He doesn't even love me. Besides, I think that he's actually afraid of me.

Also, I wouldn't run of _crying_.

First of all, it's embarrassing.

Second of all, it's out of my character.

Third of all, it's none of my business.

Fourth of all…I know Nagihiko, and there is no doubt that he would never snuggle up to Saaya like that seeing that he's even more scared of her that he is of me.

So, I walked up to him then asked _-cough- _demanded _-cough- _for an explanation.

"Rima-chan…" He looked up at me with a woeful look on his face.

"Yamabuki-san keeps stealing my baby pictures…" He whimpered.

**Rima**

**o.O.o.O.o**

Darn it, Nagihiko! Stop looking at me like that!

See, if I blush, which I'm probably doing right now, Saaya could assume that I like you…of course, not that I would admit it so easily and…

"Saaya…" I directed my gaze at the girl then tried to pull off an angry expression to make it seem like my face is reddening because of my anger. "I come here to look for something to use against Fujisaki and you go stealing those stuff from him before I could even use it against him?"

My words of wisdom seemed to snap Nagihiko out of his trance. He quickly grabbed the album which was on Saaya's hand before pulling away from her.

Soma-kun and Hotori-kun followed me to help Saaya up while Amu and Yaya came to greet Nagihiko.

"Mashiro-san…" She gritted through her teeth. "I was the happiest girl until you slammed that door open"

"Well, excuse me for saving Nagihiko from getting raped"

"I wasn't gonna get raped, Rima-chan"

"Stop calling me that, you stupid troll" I turned to Nagihiko with a scowl. He smirked.

"Okay then, Demon chibi. Happy?"

"Be quiet!" I barked.

"What is going on here?" I heard the voice of the same woman who called Baaya-san away. I looked at the direction of the voice- the doorway- before letting out a silent gasp.

There stood a slender beautiful woman with the same colored hair as Nagihiko, only it was curly and tied to a bun.

She wore a kimono that fit her snugly, in such a way that her curves and features were emphasized.

"Mom" Nagihiko said.

Mom?

"MOM?" Amu, Yaya and Soma-kun wailed in unison. The woman looked at them with an air of authority. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out that they were intimidated.

"Is there a problem?"

"N-no I-I-it's just that you're so p-p-pretty…" Amu stuttered. The woman surprisingly grinned.

"Oh, is that so? Well, thank you. Nagihiko, are these three friends of yours? Please, do let them stay for dinner!"

"What about Hotori-kun and Rima-chan?"

_How many times do I need to tell him to call me either Mashiro-san or Rima-sama…_

The woman glanced at the two of us. She puckered her lips before saying with the same air of authority, "Do you two think I'm pretty?"

"O-of course!" Hotori-kun said, slightly startled.

"Gorgeous, even!" I added.

The woman smiled then turned to Nagihiko.

"Nagihiko, after allowing these five to dinner, you may let that little small girl there stay for the night in the most luxurious guest room that we have"

"WHAAAT?" The same trio cried.

Before I could make a protest of my own, Saaya chided, "But ma'am, don't you think that Nagi-kun and I should be given more alone time since we're getting married, anyway?" She pulled Nagihiko into a hug. Nagihiko was shivering all throughout.

My blood ran cold.

What did she mean by…

Instinctively, I turned to Nagihiko. He wasn't looking at me. He was looking at his mom.

"But it isn't permanent yet, right, mom?"

The woman nodded. I then felt a sense of relief wash over me.

"I must first see who is most worthy of the surname Fujisaki. Saaya-san, don't try to be too bratty. You still have four years to prove yourself?"

"What happens in four years?" Yaya asked whilst sucking on a lollipop which she got from who-knows-where.

Amu, Hotori-kun, Soma-kun and I panicked because of her informal behavior, until we saw in Nagihiko's mother's face that she was endeared by Yaya's childish personality.

"That's when I plan to make Nagihiko marry…"

"N-Nagihiko? Marry Saaya? At t-t-t-twenty years old?" Amu wailed. She immediately covered her mouth then turned to Nagihiko's mom. "I'm sorry for o-over reacting it's just that…"

The mother smiled again, obviously endeared. "It's fine"

Suddenly, Nagihiko sighed.

"I knew that I should've just been a priest…"

When he said that, my conversation with Nadeshiko replayed in my mind.

Didn't she want to be a nun back then too?

"Nagihiko" His mother turned to him. She then pointed at Yaya and Amu. "These two girls are cute. Let them stay for the night too"

"Heh?" Nagihiko face-palmed.

To my surprise, Amu grabbed my hand.

"Yay! A sleepover!" She hummed softly. Yaya was bouncing in front of me.

"Luckily, Yaya brought lollipops in her blazer's pocket, back pack, skirt's pocket and hair bows!"

I raised my brows at the auburn-haired girl.

"Why in so many different places, Yaya?"

"Cause the teacher will get suspicious if Yaya keeps reaching for the same spot over and over again during class!"

When Nagihiko's mother left, Soma-kun and Hotori-kun sighed.

"Guess that the woman wasn't endeared by us at all, huh?" Soma-kun sighed. Hotori-kun was nodding beside him.

"Well, at least we get to stay for dinner" He patted Soma-kun at the back.

After settling things with our parents, we decided to spend our time playing board games. The five of us played while Saaya just spent the rest of the hours clinging unto Nagihiko's arm.

Why that rotten bi-

-Anyway, we all eventually got used to it. Even Nagihiko has stopped flinching every so often.

We all completely ignored her as we rolled dices and grabbed cards from decks.

Just when Nagihiko was about to win, Baaya came up. Dinner's ready.

Eager to see what was being served we bounced their way down the steps to get ahead.

Nagihiko, who was the least enthusiastic about the meal, lagged behind.

I decided that now was the perfect time to bombard him with questions.

"Fujisaki!" I brisk-walked towards him. Nagihiko didn't flinch or anything at my hasty approach. It almost seemed like he even expected it.

"Tell me. Do you know Nadeshiko?"

He nodded. "Of course! She's my twin sister!"

"Then tell me. Where is she? I want to tell her something!"

"Ah…" Nagihiko feigned disappointment. "You just missed her flight. She went back to Europe earlier today"

My heart sank. For a moment, a feeling of disbelief washed over me. It took me a few seconds to let the information settle and when it did, "Oh…" was all I could mutter.

I could tell that Nagihiko was feeling uncomfortable. He was speechless and he didn't move from his spot. The air was heavy around us.

"Say, Rima-chan…" He started. "If there's something you want to tell Nadeshiko, you could tell it to me first then I can pass it on to her…"

I snapped my head so that I could glare at Nagihiko.

"No way! What I want to tell her are girly things that you wouldn't get!" I exclaimed as I turned my back to scurry to the dining room.

Nagihiko didn't stop me nor did he come after me.

Obviously he wouldn't. What made me even think that he would?

He doesn't know how I feel about not being able to see Nadeshiko again- to have to contain my feelings again.

He doesn't know what I've told her.


	7. Just who is Nadeshiko?

**Chapter 7**

**Rima**

**o.O.o.O.o**

Unagi, katsudon, okonomiyaki…

Those dishes are supposedly simple so…I found myself holding back a gasp as these dishes were being served to us one by one- each of them placed on fancy, gem-covered plates.

A lot of people have called me Queen because of my usual cold and demanding personality but until today, I have never eaten like one…

…nor have I lived like one!

If _this _is the food they eat everyday, then imagine how their guest rooms must look like!

I couldn't help but feel excited just thinking about the room I'll be staying in.

Indoor hot springs and king-sized beds started popping up in my mind.

"No. Don't get your hopes up, idiot…" I whispered to myself.

"Wow!" Yaya's eyes glimmered as a tray of baked potatoes was served before us. "We need to visit Nagi more often!" then she turned to the maid that was serving us our napkins.

"What's for dessert?" She asked. The maid smiled.

"Parfait"

Ah, parfait. I love the taste of those ice creams topped with crème and fruits. My favorite shop serving the best parfait just closed down and now I'm left craving for it.

I didn't stop Yaya when she cheered aloud but Saaya did.

That stupid rich hag is stealing my job from me!

"Yuiki-san! It's rude to be improper when dining in _the _Fujisaki's home!" She scolded. Yaya shut up, remembering that she's in a fancy place.

I wouldn't have any of this.

Silently, I tapped my lip with my napkin then said, "And it's also very rude to pry through people's property, let alone steal them, Yamabuki-san."

Saaya gasped then turned to me with a distasteful glare.

"You ugly wench! Mind your own business! I wasn't being rude by prying into Nagihiko-sama's old photo albums and drawers! I'm his future wife so it's only right of me to know more about him!"

Nagihiko entered the dining room just in time to hear everything that Saaya said. He sighed while Soma-kun and Hotori-kun snickered.

"She sounds more like a stalker…" Amu chuckled beside me.

After seeing Nagihiko, Saaya squealed.

"Nagihiko-sama! Come sit beside m-"

"Oh, look! An empty seat beside Amu-chan! Amu-chan, may I sit beside you?" Nagihiko said, not waiting for an answer as he hastily made his way to the seat beside Amu. I felt my stomach churn.

I grabbed Amu's arm then glared at him.

"He's up to something, Amu. Don't talk to him!" I grumbled. Amu just laughed and then waved off what I told her.

"Don't be silly, Rima! Nagihiko's just trying to avoid Yamabuki-san! He isn't plotting something devious!"

-"_Hey! I heard that!" Saaya exclaimed though we decided to ignore her-_

"Oh but that's where you're wrong, Amu" I narrowed my eyes at Nagihiko, making sure that he was watching the whole scene. "He's always plotting something evil in the deranged head of his"

"Hello! How are my guests?" Nagihiko's mother entered at that very moment. The tight bun in her hair has been loosened a bit and her kimono's hem was covered with particles of dirt.

She sat in the head of the table, sighed, before telling everyone loads of stories. Most of them were about Nagihiko. I sharpened my ear for some embarrassing bit about him (though there was none) or some story about Nadeshiko.

Her story ended when Nagihiko won this basketball championship, and there still wasn't any hint that she had another child.

I plopped a potato into my mouth, swallowed, before asking in a polite tone,

"Miss, I was wondering…why is Nadeshiko always in Europe?"

Nagihiko choked on his water.

Everyone gave me that same skeptical look ("_Again with this Nadeshiko?_")

Nagihiko's mother raised her brows.

Silence ensured.

Why?

Why wasn't his mother answering?

Finally, she shaped her mouth to answer me.

"Who's Nadeshiko?"

Now, it was my turn to choke.

"Nadeshiko. Nagihiko's twin sister, Nadeshiko" I said, trying to sound like I wasn't trying to make her seem stupid.

"EH?" Five young voices wailed in unison.

One young boy was slamming his fists against his chest since the choking won't stop.

The mother giggled.

"Oh, but I don't have two kids! Nagihiko's an only child!"

"Mom!" Nagihiko hissed. His mom paused then looked at him (-him being in front of me so I could still see the mother's face).

She gave him a 'What?' look.

Nagihiko squinted his eyes then looked at her weirdly.

She shrugged her shoulders.

Nagihiko sighed then rolled his eyes.

She gave him a weird look.

He sagged his shoulders.

Suddenly, her eyes shone in understanding.

"Ah!" She exclaimed, sending all eyes on her. "Nadeshiko! My _other_ child! Oh, yes. I love her very, very much. I even have loads of things to say about her!"

"What kind of things?" Saaya asked, finally thawing out of her shock.

A smile crept into Nagihiko's mother's face.

"She's a girl…" Then she giggled. "End of story!"

I could see from my peripheral vision that Nagihiko was face-palming.

"But…why would you forget about your son's twin?" Yaya, the second to thaw out of the shock, asked.

"Oh!" The mother grinned before playfully knocking on her head. "I have a lot of things in mind nowadays and I completely forgot that I had another child!"

When dinner was done, and when Nagihiko's mother had left, Hotori-kun sighed.

"I-is it normal to forget about something like that?"

o.O.o.O.o

Refreshed after the outdoor bath, Amu, Yaya and I tiptoed down the staircases.

"Uh…Rima? I really don't wanna walk around this large mansion when it's this dark! Can't we at least dry our hairs first?"

"Amu, you don't get it! Something weird is going on! Why were Nagihiko and his mother giving each other weird looks?" I shifted my attention to the dark corner in the hallway that we were walking to. "…just who _is_ Nadeshiko…?"

"Isn't she Nagi's twin sister?" Yaya asked whilst sticking a lollipop into her mouth. I shushed her before creeping my way into the door of Nagihiko's room.

"Yes, but…there's something more about her…"

"What makes you say that?" Amu asked.

Slowly, I turned the knob of the door then peeked inside the room. On the bed, underneath the heavy covers was a lump- a lump which I guessed was Nagihiko…

"I looked for her in facebook and there were no results. It's as if…she doesn't exist…"

"Rima, not everyone has a facebook. Take Ami for example" Amu said. I cringed.

"It's not just that! Think about it, Amu. _Who _would forget their own daughter? Until Nagihiko gave his mother strange gestures, the name didn't ring a bell to her- Nadeshiko's mother! And the maid! She doesn't know her either!" I said in a hushed, anxious tone.

"Oh I see but…" Amu trailed off.

"Rima-tan…" Yaya started. "why are we sneaking into Nagi's room?"

I smirked before slamming the lump in the bed.

"We'll demand for answers from him"

Amu, Yaya and I trapped the person hidden beneath the blankets.

His screams were muffled as he struggled. Eventually, the covers came off, revealing shoulder-length permed hair. Even in the dark, I could tell that the person in the bed wasn't Nagihiko.

It was Saaya.

"What the hell are you doing?" She screamed. The three of us immediately pulled away. She was still in the midst of the shock when she continued, "Were you planning to rape Nagihiko-sama?"

"Eew. Gross. NO!" I screeched.

"That's just…no! Gross!" Amu wailed.

"Amu-chi, what does rape mean?" Yaya asked.

"Anyway, why the heck are you in his bed?" I asked, eyes narrowing. Saaya giggled.

"I was waiting for him to come back but…" She looked at the alarm clock in the table by her bed before letting her head hang.

I released a sigh of disappointment.

Without another word, I left the room with the two following suit.

"What now? We can't look for him in this entire mansion…" Amu mumbled.

"You two can go back. I have to use the restroom"

After promising that I won't get lost, and giving them permission to schedule a search for the entire mansion if I'm not back by ten minutes, they went ahead.

I lied about needing to use the washroom.

Instead, I headed for the balcony beside Nagihiko's room then sat on the edge of the terrace to think things through.

I thought that I was alone until…

"That's dangerous, you know…"

The voice was high and melodious- it was incredibly familiar. I gasped then turned to the direction of the voice- on the bench on the corner of the balcony. There sat a girl with flowing violet hair left untied. In her hands was a dog constantly kissing and licking her on the face, earning giggles from the girl.

"Nadeshiko!" I gasped while scurrying to her side. Instinctively, I hugged her. For some odd reason, her face started heating up.

Suddenly, she gasped.

"Nadeshiko?" She shrieked.

I nodded my head without hiding the smile plastered across my face. "Yes, you're Nadeshiko, aren't you?"

Dazed, she felt the angles of her face, and then her chest. She gasped before looking at the dog.

"I didn't notice…"

"Didn't notice what?"

She froze before waving her hands in front of her.

"N-nothing! Forget I said that!"

The dog barked then bounced tomy lap. I felt my joints freeze as the hair in my nape rose.

Nadeshiko giggled before getting the dog then placing it back on her lap.

"Cute, isn't she? She's the only female in the litter. Anyway, Nagihiko told me that you've always been afraid of dogs…"

"Yeah…" I muttered. "Ever since this _horrifying_ Chihuahua chased me through a whole street. It was your brother who saved me- that is, if you call what he did to me saving…"

A strange smile formed in Nadeshiko's face. "How did he save you?"

"Like I said. He didn't really save me. All he did was call for me and the Chihuahua ran to him. Suddenly it was so friendly and all signs of viciousness was gone. He wouldn't believe me when I said that it was a monster just a few seconds ago!"

She chuckled for a moment before opening her mouth to say something. However, I interrupted her- remembering something that I should've asked her the first time that I saw her this night.

"Hey! Aren't you supposed to be in Europe?"

Silence ensured.

"O-oh…I…missed my flight and I've…uh…decided to surprise my brother by hiding here! Imagine his shock when he finds me here!"

It's more than obvious that she's lying through her teeth but…I could tell that the reason that she lied is really none of my business. It's rude to pry through peoples' business.

Besides, I'm honestly…a _little_ too scared to know the truth.

I don't want to scar the friendship that we have now. What if the secret is something really dark and horrifying? What if it's something that could irreversibly change my opinion on Nagihiko and Nadeshiko?

Right now, she's the only one that knows about me liking Nagihiko.

I'm content with just having her here to listen to me, to feel concerned for me, to see me as a _girl_ that can blush and like boys.

With a smile, I turned to Nadeshiko.

I don't need to know everything about her to know that she's trustworthy and sincere.

"I trust you"

**Hi, everyone! I haven't updated in awhile. Why? Because a stupid virus deleted all my files so I needed to do a ton of stuff to get my computer fixed. Also, I needed ace some tests and all. Oh- the pressure! Anyway, since I had some free time, I decided to use fanfic so...here goes chapter seven. Comments, suggestions, and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism are very much welcome!**


	8. The free tickets

**Chapter 8**

**Rima**

**o.O.o.O.o**

"Rima-tan!" I backed away a second too late because Yaya had already plummeted me against the hard, wooden floor.

"We were just about to schedule a search, Rima" Amu said. As if to prove her point, she waved her phone in front of me. "What took you so long?"

"_Don't remind anyone of my existence" Nadeshiko said a few minutes earlier, right before we separated ways. I cocked my head in curiosity._

"_Why?"  
_

_She placed the tip of her finger just before her lips then winked._

"_Because it would do them no good to know that I'm here since I'm going to disappear anyway"_

Why?

Why must they forget?

I want Nadeshiko and Amu to be good friends too! That way, I can spend time with both of them. Eventually, with Nadeshiko by my side, I might even have the courage to tell Amu how I feel about Mr. 'I just love how I annoy chibi demon-san'.

In the midst of wondering all of this, I felt my mouth move involuntarily.

"I got lost"

Luckily, I ended up with a pretty reasonable excuse. That is, until I realized that it's _impossible_ to get lost. The restroom that I supposedly used was right in front of Nagihiko's bedroom, just a floor away from the guest room Amu, Yaya and I are staying at.

Amu realized that, too. She gave me a scrutinizing look.

Why can't she be dense when I need her to be?

"Really, Rima. Why?"

Now my mind was working on only one thing: _an excuse_.

"I…saw a dog. It chased me down the stairs and through a bunch of rooms. When it gave up, I realized that I didn't know where I was"

Now _that_ is believable.

"WAAH? Nagi has a dog?" Yaya wailed. I nodded.

"Is it cute?" Amu squealed. I scrunched up my nose.

"It looks like any other dog. You know I hate those little critters. Why would I say they're cute?"

Yaya turned to Amu then winked. "It must be cute then!"

I sighed before tying my hair into a loose bun.

"Oh. You sleeping already?" Amu asked. I snuggled beneath the blankets in my bedding then let a yawn say a yes for me.

"Rima-tan, Yaya and Amu-chi won't let you sleep just yet! We have a long list of to-do things for tonight! We can't let a sleep-over go to waste!"

"That's what you say but we still have school tomorrow, Yaya…"

Yaya ignored my comment:

"-then after the pillow fight, we'll eat a lot of candy, then play truth or dare, and then eat more candy, and then tell ghost stories, and then eat more candy…" she has given up on keeping track of the things to-do with her fingers since she's already named more than ten. Right now, she's simply naming what comes to her mind.

"I don't want to wake up with eye bags" I lied. Truth is, I wanted some time of silence so I can think about what Nadeshiko said.

There is _definitely_ something about the Fujisaki family.

Amu and Yaya became silent for a moment.

Just as I was about to drift off into unconsciousness...

I felt something soft strike me.

"Pillow fight!" Yaya screamed.

**Nagihiko**

**o.O.o.O.o**

That was close. For a second, I thought that I was going to change back in front of Rima-chan.

Luckily, there's a warning whenever I'm about to change genders- an extreme pain in the chest. Until today, I've managed to hide the pain, but I've noticed that the second transformation was a lot more painful than the last one.

"Nagihiko" I flinched at the sound of my mother's voice. Hesitantly, I turned to the doorway of the kitchen, tablespoon in hand.

I wasn't sure whether mom was angry because I was eating directly from the gallon of a green tea flavored ice cream or if it was because I had both feet resting above the dining table.

"Why are you eating that so late? You're going to get acne, you know! And then eye bags because green tea ice cream has caffeine that keeps you awake!"

I guess that it's neither.

I put my feet down then closed the gallon with the lid.

"I'll be fine" I said while placing the gallon in the freezer. Just before I could leave the kitchen, mom stopped me.

"I hope that you realize that that your friends are in danger- especially that petite girl"

I stopped dead in my tracks then sighed.

"I won't let anything happen to Rima-chan or the others. I'll stick to them like glue"

I could heard the taps of my mother's footsteps nearing me from behind.

"If the Tsukiyomi family finds out that someone that isn't involved knows about the curse, they'll do anything to shut them up"

"I know"

"What if she tells someone…"

"The Demon Chibi is not a blabber-mouth. Nadeshiko told her not tell anyone. Also, I know that she'll find a way to keep the rest quiet." I paused then turned to my mom. "Besides, none of them know about the curse"

Mom shrugged then walked ahead of me.

"You never know when a girl will kiss you in front of her! Unlike the first time, you'll only have a minute before your body shifts. That's not even enough time to change clothes"

When mom left, I blinked then narrowed my eyes.

There is _no way_ she will know. Otherwise, she'll kill me. Not only that, she can be killed too.

**Rima**

**Saturday**

**o.O.o.O.o**

I never saw the point of paying so much just to see someone sing yet here I am, lining up for the Hoshina Utau concert, in a ruffled pink dress. My curls for today are calmed. A glittery gold headband adorned the top of my head.

"You're going to _love_ her Rima-tan! Yaya promises!" Yaya said as she held me firmly on the shoulders.

I rolled my eyes.

Right now, I should be sleeping in my bedroom with my 'Gag Manga Daioh' settled nicely in my arms. Unfortunately, a certain pig-tailed red-head insisted that they kidnap me, and a certain ugly purple-headed troll offered to gag and carry me on his back as they make their escapade.

Amu was the one who had offered to stay behind to look for clothes that I should wear for the concert. While we were in Nagihiko's limo on the way to the concert, all three boys were blindfolded as Amu and Yaya forced me into clothes I've never worn since I was twelve.

From afar, I could see the boy who was checking and tearing the tickets standing along with two bulky body guards. He looked like he was about our age. He was even pretty handsome- tall with soft, green hair and a nicely angled jaw-line.

I swear, though. That boy looks awfully familiar.

"Next!" He said with a tone of authority.

Heck, even the way she speaks is awfully familiar.

We walked to him then handed him our tickets. He was about to tear our tickets and let us in but stopped. After scrutinizing the tickets with eyes which I now noticed were cerulean, he eyed us in a way that I could only describe as rude.

"These tickets are fake"

"WAAH?" Yaya and Amu wailed.

"But Yaya got that from a street vendor!" Yaya explained.

I wanted to do a happy little dance but decided against it. Instead, I continued to stare at the boy.

Why the heck did he look so familiar…?

After being waved off, we slowly made our way to the closest coffee shop.

There, Yaya and Amu sulked while the three boys ordered drinks.

"Puu! Yaya feels _so _disappointed!"

"You never should've bought it from the street vendor in the first place! That's extremely unreliable!" Kukai gasped as he collapsed onto his chair.

I sighed then rested my chin on the palm of my hand.

I zoned out on what everyone else was saying- my mind was at peace. I was in a better mood because now I know that I can go home and continue snoring. However, my peace was interrupted- his very voice made me instinctively ticked off.

"Was there something about that green-haired boy that allured you so much, Midget Queen?" I looked up, only to come face-to-face with Nagihiko. His eyes twitched, but I decided to ignore it.

I spat, "It's none of your business"

He smiled- his smile had a glint of evil- before snickering. "Oh really now?"

"Everyone! Yaya has an announcement!" said girl screamed at the top of her lungs. Passer-by's looked at her but decided to shake it off. When no more attention lingered on our group, Yaya proceeded, quietly, "We are going to sneak into the concert…"

I know that we all had the same thing in mind, but Nagihiko was the first to voice our thoughts.

"Uh…Yaya-chan? I don't think that that's such a good idea…" He sighed, lowering his fedora hat.

"Sure it is, Nagi!"

"I think Fujisaki's right, Yuiki-san" Hotori-kun said, oh-so-politely.

Since Hotori-kun was right in front of me, I have a clear view of the back of the person sitting behind him: a pretty-looking girl who looked about the same age as us (if it weren't for the bigger breast and wider hips) . She wore yellow heels, an over-sized coat and a large woolen hat. At the mention of Nagihiko's surname, she flinched. And before I, Amu, or anyone else could say anything, she was slamming one fist on our table while the other rested on her hip.

All of us were silenced as we stared at the girl- shocked.

"Did you say Fujisaki?" She hissed- voice and tone very stern and rude.

In a situation like this, normally, I would be the one to speak up and tell the stranger how she was bothering us, but something about how her whole face was practically covered by a beanie and shades made me stop.

Nagihiko surprised us all by standing up. "I'm Fujisaki. Is there something you want?" he asked, a little too coolly. For a second, the woman grinned. However, before any of us can speak, Yaya was screaming.

"OMIGOD! YOU'RE- _uuumph oomph urghhh_"

"Shut up if you want to live" The girl had gagged Yaya with both of her hands. She smiled at the curious witnesses then waited for them to pass by. When Yaya calmed down, she released her grip.

"I might as well admit it to you now before you guys cause a commotion. I'm Utau. Hoshina Utau" She extended her arms then shook the hand of _just_ Nagihiko, who isn't even her fan!

With a straight face, he shook her hand. As he did, I couldn't help but squint my eyes.

Is it just me, or did Utau have a strange glint in her eyes just now? I bet that Nagihiko noticed it too. However, being the annoying boy that he is, he decided to not glance back at me and nod- a secret language that we came up with over the years if we knew that someone was hiding something.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Hoshina-san" Hotori-kun got up from his seat to shake her hand.

"Is there something you want with us?" I asked, finally finding my voice. I didn't hide the annoyed tone in my voice, and this earned me a scolding look from Amu. Yaya didn't mind us and continued staring at Utau.

"Nothing much…" She got something from her pocket. "I just wanted to give you these"

Shock etched in each and every one of our faces.

"Why are you giving us tickets to your concert?" Kukai wondered, cocking his head to the side as he examined the piece of paper. "I mean…not to be rude or anything, but is there something you want from Fujisaki since he's rich? Or do you have a crush on him? Or do you have the hots for me or something?"

Kukai's statement earned him a bump in the head.

Utau sighed while shaking her throbbing fist. "Oops. My hand slipped" Then, with a smile, she turned to the rest of us. "I just hate seeing disappointed fans…"

And, with a mysterious grin, she strut off.

I sighed then turned to my left, only to catch a glimpse of Hotori-kun's expression as he watched her retreating figure. On his face was an expression I've never seen on him until today- a suspicious yet nostalgic expression…

* * *

**Yipee! No classes for today! I shall use my time wisely and update fanfic!  
**

**So anyway, if you guys are wondering..._yes_, I updated this very same chapter again today. See, there were some errors that I wanted to correct. There aren't much corrections, though (if you're willing to read the chapter again). I just corrected some grammar mistakes.  
**


	9. Tsukiyomi

**Chapter 9**

**Nagihiko**

**o.O.o.O.o **

There she goes again- scrutinizing that green-haired boy from head-to-toe. Seriously. What does she see in him? What happened to 'I like Nagihiko so much because he is super cool and all'?

"Weren't you the people who had fake tickets just a little while ago?" The green-haired boy asked, raising his brows at us. I nodded my head, smiling (though I think that the smile ended up looking like a grimace).

"Yes"

"So…how did you suddenly get these tickets?"

Smile-smile-smile

"That's none of your business!" I replied, smiling.

He sighed before shaking his head. "I see that you've even got seats in the VIP…" He gave us a suspicious glare. Amu and Yaya-chan cheered.

"No way! Amu-chi, this is so cool!"

"I love Hoshina Utau!"

"Now we don't have to barge in!" Yaya grabbed the tore-d ticket from the boy before hurrying inside. "See you later, class prez!" She said, wildly waving her hands at the dead-panned boy.

"Class prez?"

When we arrived, Utau-san was already singing on stage. Yaya-chan squealed then bounced to her seat while Amu-chan's mouth fell agape as she stared at the rock star in awe.

"She's amazing, isn't she? Hoshina Utau…" She smiled as we made our way to our seats. Rima-chan shrugged.

"Not to mention suspicious"

"Not to mention violent…" Soma-kun added whilst rubbing his throbbing head. I snickered a bit at the memory- the famous pop star hitting him upside the head...

Two hours later, the concert was still ongoing. I was exhausted, and though I wanted to sleep, I couldn't. The people around me kept screaming, waving and struggling and all so that they could touch Utau-san. I looked beside me then felt the tips of my lips tug upwards.

For some odd reason, Rima-chan had managed to fall asleep.

Seeing her like this- curly thick hair sprawled on the cushion, face small, expression innocent makes it easier for me to believe that she really is the sweet girl that Nadeshiko knows…

I felt a pang of pain.

Nadeshiko…

If I want to keep Rima-chan safe, she can never see her again. That means that she may never actually smile at me again.

Not that I hate it when we end up in heated debates and arguments- _No_!

It's fun to make a comeback that could make her look confused and pissed-off. However, it's nice to see her fragile side every once in awhile- the fragile side that she would _never_ show the real me.

"Fujisaki?" I snapped out of my trance then turned to Kukai. The boy had smirk in his face.

"You're staring at Queen! Don't tell me that you like her…" He said, his green eyes narrowing. I scoffed.

"I was staring because there was a fly in her nose!"

Minutes later, the fans were screaming for an encore, which Utau-san was denying. When she left for backstage, (little-by-little) the fans left, all of them talking about the two-hour dread in excited tones. Before we could stand from our seats, however, a tall guy with a thin mane of midnight blue hair stopped us.

"Are you the group Utau gave the tickets to?" He asked. We nodded. "Well, Utau has a favor to ask Fujisaki-kun. Can he come with me?" He said.

I'm starting to understand what Rima-chan meant when she called Utau-san suspicious.

I mean, it's not the first time that there were people who asked for my help considering that I am a Fujisaki but…explain why the air hung heavily among us.

"Okay" I said whilst standing up to follow him. However, Hotori-kun spoke up.

"Fujisaki-kun, wait" When we turned to look at him, his eyes narrowed at the blue-haired boy. Cautiously, he clenched his fists. "You and Hoshina-san…remind me of people I used to know…" He muttered.

A nostalgic look crossed the blue-haired boy's face.

"What's your name?" Hotori-kun snarled.

"Tadase-kun…" Amu-chan- currently shaken- pat Hotori-kun on the shoulder as she looked back and forth between the two boys.

The boy just smiled then said, "Tokui" before walking away. I decided to follow him.

"I'll be back. You guys can go ahead! I'll follow!" I waved at my friends as I said that in a tone that could hopefully lighten the mood.

However, when we were out of sight, the mood only got worse. As we passed by the halls, I noted how eerily silent and empty it was considering that the concert was bustling with screams and squeals just a few minutes ago. When we passed the door that was supposedly Utau-san's without stopping to check if she was there, that's when I knew that something was wrong.

Still, I didn't ask. I just followed.

I am so smart.

Tokui stopped in front of a steel door before moving a leg forward to push it open hence, revealing a garage. It was pretty big and rather spacious. Unlike the garage of Soma-kun's house, here, I needn't watch my step to be sure that there's nothing I would trip on.

Actually, to make things simpler, it was empty.

There was nothing and no one in here besides me, Tokui and the figure standing on the other side of the room. The figure was the twin-tailed star leaning on the wall- sipping an energy drink. Beside her was practically the only item in the room- a white handkerchief with something bulky underneath. When she saw me, she smirked as Tokui-kun shut the door behind us.

Okaaay…maybe they're a _little_ more than suspicious.

Of course, since I was such a genius, I stood there like a rock then asked a very intelligent question: "Uh…what's going on…?"

I did not bother to hide the creeped-out tone in my voice.

"Our goal is to eliminate every Fujisaki who is living with the curse" Utau-san said as she placed her drink on the floor before grabbing the bulky handkerchief. "You're a Fujisaki and obviously, you've heard of the curse, haven't you?" She was now walking around me- observing me.

I took a step back but was stopped by Tokui. I then carefully examined my surroundings. I was far from the metal door and the car entrance was locked with a heavy gate. I then averted my eyes to the cloth Utau held. I panicked, but outwardly, I remained poised and composed. I kept my lips straight as I decided to play dumb.

"What curse?"

"This curse-" Before I could blink, or even gasp, Utau-san grabbed me by the collar then squished her lips into mine. Almost immediately, I felt the color of my cheeks drain as the pupils of my eyes contracted.

Unlike Saaya-san's, Utau's kiss lasted for only half a second; it was as if she wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. The moment it was over, she scooted behind me then pointed a gun at my head.

"Now don't move" She snarled before turning to Tokui. "Nii-san! Just to let you know, that kiss didn't count!" her tone had shifted to giggly and sweet the moment she spoke to her 'Nii-san'.

Tokui-kun groaned. "Just don't do it again…"

I tried to recall the warnings mom gave me.

She never said anything about a pop star or some tall Tokui guy! All she ever told me about was the Tsukiyomi family! Based on what I know, Utau is a '_Hoshina_' and, because she called the older guy 'Nii-san', I'm guessing that he's a Hoshina too.

The gun made a clicking sound.

"Don't even try anything or your head will be blown into bits…"

"I won't" I said.

Right now, all I could do was cooperate but…if I can't think of something quick, I'll turn into Nadeshiko in front of them.

I need to think of something fast. My chest is already starting to hurt…

"Hey, Ikuto! Are you sure that he's already cursed…?"

I-Ikuto?

With arms crossed, he cooly walked to the other side of the garage. There, I could clearly see him. "Yep!" He gave her a strange look. The look seemed to have a meaning. Since Utau's lips were practically beside my ears, I heard her whisper something like, _"I get you, Ikuto…"_

"Oh. But…" Utau-san turned to me, her voice much louder this time. "-he's _not changing_, Ikuto…"

Ikuto! As in…Aruto Tsukiyomi's son, Ikuto! I should've been more careful, darn it! I've heard of him a lot from my mother. She said that by now he'd be around…eighteen?

If that's so…what does Hoshina Utau have to do with anything? She's not a Tsukiyomi nor is she a Fujisaki…right? So how come they're not killing her?

Ikuto smirked then glanced at his watch. "Twenty more seconds"

I clutched my chest as if doing so would stop the pain.

"_I-if_ I am cursed, then what are you going to do…" I snarled. Utau chuckled then flipped her gun.

"We'll have to kill you, of course!"

"What about the people that know about the curse"

Ikuto walked in front of me. "Rules change"

Utau pointed the gun back at my head. "Of course, we're still going to have to kill them. Did _you_ tell anybody about the curse?"

"Of course not…"

_Ten_

_._

_._

_._

_D-darn it_

_._

_._

_._

_Nine_

.

.

.

_Eight_

.

.

.

Seven

_._

_._

_._

_Six_

_._

_._

_._

_Five_

.

.

.

_Four_

.

.

.

_Three_

_._

_._

_._

_Darn it…_

_._

_._

_._

_Two_

_._

_._

_._

_One_

_-BOOM-_

"ARRRRRRRRRRGHH!"


	10. Where's Nagi?

**Chapter 10**

**Rima**

**o.O.o.O.o**

"Rima…Rima!"

I furrowed my brows then tried to wave off the voice attempting to end my slumber.

"Rima-tan! Wake up!"

This voice- despite being incredibly hyper and loud- _will not_ startle me awake. I am _not_ going to wake up. I don't want to.

"Yo! Queen!" This one rubbed his hand against my head, causing the neat curls to change into a pile of mess. "Wakey-wakey! Tadase just got confessed to by a girl and was given a gift certificate to this really expensive parfait shop!"

P-parfait…?

"There's a new flavor there too, Mashiro-san. The girl told me about it- it's really weird, but it comes with a free pack of pocky sticks"

P-pocky?

I felt my eyes shoot open. Suddenly, I sat upright then blinked twice. Slowly, I looked around- at my friends. Each of them held a grin in their face.

"I told you that would wake her up" Amu said, smiling at the three. I rolled my eyes.

"So. Where's the gift certificate?" I asked.

"Well, we weren't really given any gift certificate but everything we said about this new parfait shop is true. We're actually headed there now" She grinned, her pink hair swishing across her shoulder as she bent down to my level.

Well, that works for me. After hopping off my chair, I looked around.

"Say…we're the only ones left here. It's so quiet too. What happened to the people causing noise pollution?" I asked. Amu looked back then headed to my side before explaining:

"We waited for all of them to leave so that there won't be a crowd when we head for the exit"

"Oh…" I mumbled.

That makes complete sense. I mean, I _hate_ sweating- hate it to hell. If we were to squeeze along with the rest of the Hoshina Utau fans (which are millions, by the way), then not only would we be separated and get all sweaty; _I_ would get squished.

What's with teenagers nowadays, anyway? Why are they so tall?

Why do they have to be so- _Wait a minute._

I looked at my left- Amu.

I looked behind me- Soma-kun, Hotori-kun and Yaya.

I looked to my right, in front of me, in every side until my eyes have scanned the entire concert area- _No one_.

I knew that something was wrong- My thoughts weren't rudely interrupted!

I am too calm. I'm not getting pissed. I'm not in deep thought- _I am too calm_!

I tugged on Amu's blouse. "Where's the purple-headed parrot?" I asked.

She smiled. "Oh! This boy took him with him. I think he was Utau's manager or something- said that she needed him for something. Nagihiko, that lucky guy. I hope he gets her autograph for each of us!"

Yaya, who was obviously eavesdropping on our conversation, wailed just as we turned a left from the exit door.

"Nagi is so unfair! He gets to meet Hoshina Utau and Yaya- being the adoring fan here- can't!"

For some odd reason, Hotori-kun fell silent as his thumb went under his chin in wonder. It was probably just me… (_scratch that. _When I looked at Amu, she was also staring at him) but for a second, a thoughtful expression crossed his face. Suddenly, the usual, goody expression returned when he snapped his head up. He then said some of the things we all never thought he'd say:

"I say that we sneak backstage and get Yuiki-san Hoshina Utau's autograph!"

…Dead-beat silence…

"Who are you and what have you done to Tadase?" Soma-kun said, his voice trailing off into a whisper.

o.O.o.O.o

Not only have my so-called 'friends' deprived me of sleep; they deprived me of parfait _and _pocky!

I feel so…_betrayed_!

I _was_ asleep! I loved that sleep! It was dreamless and relaxing! If I had known that I was just going to be dragged to some more trouble, I should've just _stayed_ asleep and let them do their crazy escapades!

"Huh?" Yaya said as we all poked our heads to the corridor leading to Utau's room. "It's so empty in here…" She whispered. I narrowed my eyes.

Utau, being a famous pop star and all, could have _at least_ some people working for her. As we silently made our way past the corridors, I looked around in hopes of finding some staff of some sort.

Sneaking into her room _shouldn't _be this easy.

As we were about to reach the end, Amu gasped.

"Isn't this Hoshina Utau's room?!" I looked at the room she was pointing at and obviously, she was right. The door, unlike the rest of the doors here, actually didn't have a gaping hole. However, the biggest evidence that this was the famous pop star's room was the sign with the words saying: _'Hoshina Utau's- stay away unless you're Ikuto!'_

"Who the heck is Ikuto?" Amu mumbled.

"Why does she sound so mean?" Yaya whimpered.

Soma-kun whistled. "Wow. This pop star's a _real_ diva. I feel bad for the manager- always having to deal with her and all…"

However, Hotori-kun's paled face caused the humor behind Soma-kun's say to fall down the drain. He muttered something under his breath.

Something like, _"I knew it was that bastard…"_ which I, of course, believe to have heard wrong. I mean, no matter how much Hotori-kun's been corrupted, there's just no way he'd say that, right?!

Anyway, I twisted the doorknob, only to realized that it can't be opened because-

"It's locked, isn't it" Hotori-kun said. I nodded my head.

"Maybe she left?" Amu suggested.

"That's impossible. If so, Fujisaki-kun should've come back to us by now…" Hotori-kun replied, eyes narrowing.

"Amu" Confused, I turned to the pinkette. "How long has Nagihiko been gone…?"

She thought about this for a moment before her golden eyes popped. "Around three minutes"

I felt my eyes squint. What was this strange, feeling of terror that was starting to pique inside of me. Nothing's wrong.

Nothing's wrong…right?

I thought it over and over again, trying to ignore the heavy atmosphere. Still, even Yaya's wails and Soma-kun's jokes didn't help put me at ease at all. Also, for some odd reason, I felt drawn to the metal door at the edge of the corridor.

Why?

"Hey, Queen! Where are you going?!"

Why?

Just then, we heard a loud bang. Before it could register to everyone else what that sound was, I found myself running to the direction of it.

It was three seconds after the bang that it occurred to me that the sound was a gunshot. I knew that I should call the police or at least have some kind of item which I can use to defend myself with. However, everything was happening on a whim. I was hyperventilating. The lack of oxygen is causing me to act on instinct.

Right now my instinct is telling me to panic and run to the place where you heard the gun shoot and hope that Nagihiko is not involved!

I didn't stop nor hesitate before opening the metal door. I took a step inside the room then shut my eyes, knowing that I was being _very _stupid and reckless right now.

What if Nagihiko's involved?

What do I do if he isn't, but the criminal is in there anyway?

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

No one was there. I scanned the room some more before my eyes fell on something splattered to the wall.

Something that's red and…liquid. The most spine-tingling thing I saw, however, was Nagihiko's white fedora buried underneath all the blood.

I fell to my knees, gasping for air.

"Rima-tan!"

"Rima!"

I turned around to see my friends running towards me. Each of them looked anxious, letting me know that they already knew what the source of the sound was.

They stopped abruptly and I watched each of their eyes widen as their gaze fell onto the fresh blood trailing to the exit, stopping abruptly just before some tire marks.

"Where's Nagi?" Yaya said, voice tembling.

Yaya, I noted, wasn't being as immature as she usually was. In fact, for the first time, she looked _genuinely_ worried; her quivering eyes were glassy.

I continued to stare at the fedora as I took shaky breaths. I had been attempted to say something multiple times before words finally formed in my mouth.

"I…don't know…"

* * *

**Hello, hello! This chapter took me a lot of editing so it took me awhile to update. ANYWAY, just to let you all know, this story isn't over so...yeah. I'll probably update the next chapter faster if...I find my USB (which happens to contain the file to chapter 11). I unfortunately lost it in the beach and DARN why does it have to be so small?! **


	11. Room 304

**Chapter 11**

-Ring- Ring- Ring-

-The subscriber cannot be reached or is out of coverage area-

-click-

-Try again?-

-click-

-Ring-Ring-Ring-

-The subscriber cannot be reached or is out of coverage area-

-click-

-Try again?-

-click-

-Ring-Ring-Ring-

-The subscriber cannot be reached or is out of coverage area-

-click-

-Try again?-

-click-

With an exasperated sigh, I tossed my phone to the bed then allowed myself to curl into a ball.

_Two days_! It's been two days since we've last heard from Nagihiko! After seeing the blood, the five of us were eerily silent and incredibly anxious as the weekend flew by. We got even more scared when we saw that Nagihiko didn't report to class this morning (Monday).

That's why- despite being told off multiple times by his servants- earlier today we decided to visit him again after class. That was when we were entertained by the person who opened the gate for us- Baaya-san, the head maid.

"_Ah! You say that you're looking for Nagihiko-sama! Oh, you dearies look worried! Has he not told you that he went straight home after the concert since he had the flu?"_

_Amu replied, her face looking slightly shocked, "No…"_

_Baaya gave us all a reassuring smile. "Well don't worry. He's got migraines and coughs but he'll be okay in a few days!"_

"_Well, can we come in to see him?" I asked, not minding the strange looks everyone gave me. Slowly, Baaya shook her head._

"_He's fast asleep now and we'd rather not have him be disturbed"_

Words cannot describe how relieved I felt when she told us that we'll see him again. However, I couldn't help but feel like something was off. Baaya's eyes kept lingering as she assured us- as if telling me that she was lying and something more serious was involved. Besides, it's not like she _promised_ that he'll be fine now, did she?

Although Amu, Yaya and Soma-kun were laughing as they made their way home- obviously completely assured that the Purple-headed creep will be fine- I found myself fiddling with the hem of my blazer. I constantly bit the bottom of my lip in anxiety.

When I got home, I've been dialing and calling him up. After getting no replies for the how-manieth time, I gave up then curled myself into a ball-

-and until now, I'm still curled into a ball…

_Suddenly_, I heard my phone ring. My head jerked up and I stared at the phone, only realizing then that my face was wet with tears.

I picked up the device then felt a twinge of guilt when I was disappointed to see Yaya's name plastered across the screen.

After taking a deep breath, I clicked 'answer'.

"RIMA-TAN!" I had to pull away from the phone as Yaya blared at my ear. When I knew that she had stopped screaming, I replied,

"What do you want?" I wanted to smack myself for sounding sober. Luckily, Yaya didn't notice.

"Amu-chi and Yaya want to go to the mall for an all-girls shopping spree and we were hoping that you could come!"

"Why so sudden…?" I whispered. Yaya was silent for a moment, and when she spoke the next words, I panicked.

"Because we want to cheer Rima-tan up since she's been so worried about Nagi lately!"

I felt my cheeks instantly heat up. W-wait? What? Was it that obvious?

"I'm not worried, Yaya. I'm just anxious because…if he dies, then he won't be able to pay me back for the book I bought for him!" -and it is _true_ that Nagihiko still owes me the money for this Almanac I paid for!

See, years ago (seven years, to be exact), I just happened to be in the bookstore (to scan through the volumes of Gag Manga Daioh) when I _just happened _to see Nagihiko, nine years old at that time, curled into a ball by a bookshelf. When I called him using the nickname 'Big fat booger', he looked up without throwing back any witty insult. That shocked me.

Then he replied, his voice cracking, 'Hi, Rima-chan', letting me know that something was completely wrong. When his face crumpled up until it looked like he was about to cry, I, being the smart and intellectual person that I am, just stood there.

'M-mom wouldn't buy me the almanac I wanted…" He whimpered as tears started to brim his ochre eyes. That's when I panicked. Instinctively, I grabbed the book he wanted, headed for the cashier then bought it for him. Days later, I realized my mistake and made him promise to pay me back.

Of course, none of my friends know about this because I asked him to keep it a secret; at that time, we would openly push each other off stages and slam pies at each others' face.

"Huh? What book?" Yaya chided.

I mentally face-palmed myself for forgetting that it was supposed to be a secret. When I didn't reply, Yaya got the wrong idea.

"WAAAH! Did you and Nagi go on a date recently?!"

"No we didn't" I hissed through the phone.

"Then when did you-"

Suddenly, from our garage, I heard a car pull up.

No bickering, no screaming- _perfect_. Only one of my parents were home. It's a seldom event to see either of them not wearing a heavy, angry expression.

"Yaya, I can't go today. Something came up. Gotta go. Bye" I hung up before she could say anything else. There's no way I'm going to let any of my friends see me after I've cried.

Hastily, I came to the door then locked it.

-Not even my parents must see me while I'm still sobbing.

However, Kami hates me. I heard someone slamming against my door.

"Rima!" A man's voice roared. "Open the door!"

Darn it darn it darn it!

"I-I can't, Papa!" I squeaked. "I-I've got…cramps!"

The knocking suddenly died down. There was a few seconds of silence before he spoke again. "Dress up. Remember your friend Fuyuki Kirishima?" I felt my eyes glint at the memory. "Well, he broke his ankle during basketball practice and we're going to visit him. Go down when you're ready!"

With that, I heard footsteps thump their way downstairs,

I walked to the mirror then took a shaky sigh.

What could I do about my face? A big red ring circled both my eyes and my nose was jet-beet red. I could probably tell papa that it's the effect of my cramps but mama wouldn't fall for it.

As much as I'd like to see Kirishima-kun after years of not seeing each other, I don't want to leave the comfort of my four-walled room.

Another shaky sigh.

Alright then!

I rinsed my face with cold water, tucked myself into a white blouse then slipped on a purple skirt and black flats.

I checked myself in the mirror again. Evidence of sobbing was still obvious. Grudgingly, I grabbed a ultralight nose guard attached to a pair of rainbow- lensed shades. It's not my style, but it would do. When I came down, papa's eyes widened.

"W-what…are you wearing…?"

"I'd rather not talk about it…" I said, hoarsely.

The trip to the hospital was silent and awkward. Neither papa nor I spoke with each other; if ever he did speak, it would be complaints about mama. Finally, we stopped in front of the white building. I was told to go ahead so papa can park.

After asking around, I easily found Kirishima-kun's room.

When I came in, I let out an inward gasp. Over the years, he's grown to look rather handsome. He was no longer the chubby, freckled little boy whom I guarded against girls that picked on him.

Beside him were his parents. His mama has grown thinner. Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that her hair was cut short, she would look no different from before.

His papa- a man with the same spiky hair as Kirishima-kun- has grown a bit flabbier. I wouldn't say that he was fat, though. Back then, he was just toned.

Kirishima-kun turned to me- brown eyes lighting up in excitement. "Mashiro-san!" He grinned. Suddenly, his smile turned topsy-turvy. "What are you wearing?"

I adjusted my rainbow shades then walked towards him. His right leg was on a cast- it was held up by a sling.

I smiled. "I just feel really colorful today"

"Oh, would you look at the time!" His mama said as she glanced at her bare wrist. "Papa and I need to go!"

His papa stood up then waved at the boy. There was a knowing smirk on both his parents' faces as they left, making a tint of pink slowly edge its way to Kirishima-kun's face.

"What was that all about?" I wondered when the two adults were gone. The pink still hasn't left Kirishima-kun's face as her coughed.

"Nothing at all…"

"So, Kirsihima-kun!" I forced myself to seem giddy. Normally, it would be easy considering that giddy is how I was like before…

Before a certain incident.

"Tell me. What stupid stunt did you try out this time for you to end up with such a twisted injury?" I said, glancing at the cast. Kirishima-kun suppressed a chuckle.

"I made it to our school's championship, can you believe that? However, in the final shot, after dunking the basketball, I didn't fall pretty well…"

"They should provide a mat or something! Oh, but…you're _that _good already?!"

He grinned sheepishly. "W-well, I wouldn't really say that…"

I forced a chuckle.

Darn it. Rima, calm down! Nagihiko is fine! Don't fret too much! You're with a friend that you haven't seen for so long!

Be…happy…

"Mashiro-san" I turned to Kirishima-kun. "I'm glad that you haven't changed much since I last saw you" He smiled.

My happy façade instantly dropped.

No. He's wrong. The last time we saw each other was before the incident. We haven't seen each other since.

I've changed. I've changed a lot…

"Mashiro-san…?"

Memories of the blood started spurting in my mind.

His…fedora hat…

Why was it there…?

"Are you okay, Mashiro-san?"

I jerked my head towards him. "I just…need some fresh air" I said before rushing outside. I could still feel Kirishima-kun's worried glance as I made my way to the waiting lounge.

With a sigh, I plopped myself unto one of the couches. I took deep, shaky breaths as an attempt to relax, but just before I could wipe my mind clean of what had just happened, I heard it:

"Hey! I heard that Hoshina Utau was in this hospital!"

"For real?!"

"Where?!"

I whipped my head to the direction of the voice- a group of teens making their way past me.

I struggled to get up.

"H-hey…" I whispered. They couldn't hear me. I tried to make my voice louder.

"W-why is she here?!" But they have already rounded up the corner. I staggered for a few seconds before finding the strength of my legs once again. By the time I made my way after them, I realized that I've lost them.

Without a second thought, I made my way to the counter. The nurse gave me a weird look because of what I was wearing yet I paid no mind.

"Where's Hoshina Utau?!" I gasped. She looked at me strangely.

"She's here, isn't she? Hoshina Utau!"

"I don't know, ma'am. She isn't a patient"

I stared at her for a few seconds before gulping- a question surfacing. "Was there a gunshot victim that came in around Saturday?"

To my horror, she nodded. "One" she said.

I swallowed before saying, "He's a friend of mine. Can you please tell me where he is…?"

The nurse pointed at the hallway at her right.

"Go straight, make a left and then go up the flight of stairs. He'll be at room 304"

I didn't thank her because my mind seemed to be in a haze. I lifelessly made my way to the room- my thoughts clouded.

Finally, I saw the room. It was further and bigger from the rest. I walked over then slid the door.

_Strange_.

It was left open…

Quietly, I crept my way inside.

From afar, all I could tell was that the person laying in the bed was unconscious.

I made my way closer to the bed then gasped- my knees buckling- because as I moved closer, I saw that the person was Nagihiko.


	12. To bawl

**Chapter 12**

For a second, I stared at Nagihiko. His expression seemed relaxed yet serious. His lips were in a straight line- his breathing was heavy.

I miss the way that he would mockingly grin and smirk.

I miss it…

"N-Nagihiko…" I found myself mumbling close to his ear. When he didn't react, my blood ran cold. Panicked, I grabbed both sides of his shoulders then shook him violently.

"Nagihiko!"

He winced.

A feeling of relief washed over me. Still, I found myself staring- waiting for him to open his eyes. He didn't.

I was about to shake him again when I heard footsteps thumping their way towards the room. Instinctively, I hid under his bed.

"Iku-nii! I don't want to murder! I really don't! But if we continue to let him live like this, they'll kill us! I don't want you to get hurt!"

I peeked from a gap made by two overlapping bed sheets then gasped. There were two people there- Utau Hoshina and a tall, blue-haire guy!

"Utau" the guy said in a tone of authority. "I won't allow any of us to turn into the ruthless killers our family wants us to be"

"But Iku-nii…"

"Calm down. We'll figure our way out of this. Besides, they think that he's dead and-" He turned to Nagihiko- a scowling look on his face. "he seems to be acquainted with Tadase. Wouldn't want to hurt kiddy king feelings now, right?"

I squeezed the hem of my blouse, as a frown slowly became evident in my face. What does this have to do with Hotori-kun…? That boy may be a lot more mysterious than I thought…

"Ikuto!" Utau yelled.

Ikuto? Was that his name…?

Ikuto…Ikuto…

"Ikuto, they'll kill us…" She whimpered.

The boy leaned down then pat Utau on the head, a soft smile playing across his lips. This seemed to calm her down because she let her arms fall free as she sobbed quietly.

Suddenly, he said, "If they kill us, I'll apologize"

Before Utau could react, however, a nurse came scurrying in.

"How's it going, Utau-san? Ikuto-kun?" She asked, giving the 'Ikuto' a shy smile. This show of affection caused Utau to flare. Meanwhile, 'Ikuto' didn't seem to notice.

"We're fine" He yawned.

The nurse walked towards Nagihiko- her heels clicking. I stopped peeking then buried myself further from the edge of the bed.

"His vitals are normal; so are his reactions. This boy will be fine. He'll be up and about in no time"

The comment seemed to pull a lot of weight off my chest.

He'll be fine…

Nagihiko will be fine…

Neither Utau nor 'Ikuto' commented, though.

As the nurse left, I crawled towards the edge of the bed to peek again. She bumped into someone in the hallway"

"_My apologies"_

"_It's okay, young man"_

The 'young man' whom the nurse had bumped into, turned out to be none other that the familiar green-haired boy during Utau's concert!

"How is he?" He asked.

"Fine" Utau scoffed.

He locked the door then knelt on the ground as he opened a brief case overflowing with files and papers.

"I don't want to kill him either, so I've got a plan…"

Utau and 'Ikuto' flocked him. I leaned my ear closer to them; their voices were softer as they conversed.

"As you all know, the Tsukiyomi's have put an 'x' mark beside his name. They think he's dead"

I squinted my eyes.

_Dead_?

"Which is why they'll _definitely _kill him in the worse possible way- maybe even get his friends and family involved- _if_ they find out that he's still alive"

Unlike Utau and the spectacled boy, who sat with their backs straight- their legs folded beneath- Ikuto looked most relaxed. He used his arms to support his weight as he leaned back; his legs were sprawled to the floor.

He lifted a hand then said, "There's really no point in scaring Utau anymore"

"I'm not scared! And he's right, Ikuto! Tadase was our childhood friend! If we keep this up, our crazed-up family will kill him- and they'll enjoy killing him considering-"

"Hoshina-san, I implore you calm down!" the green-haired shushed. When the two turned silent, he coughed then continued, "As I was saying, it's too risky for him to wander the place right now. That is why, when he wakes up, if he's willing, I could offer to tamper with his data and documents- change his name, his birth certificate and…his gender"

"The poor guy" Ikuto snickered. "If it were me, I'd rather die. Then again, he did make a pretty girl..."

The boy continued, "We could cut his hair, dye it, make him wear contacts- we'll give him a completely new identity. That is…if he's willing."

"What if he's not willing?" Utau asked. The boy sighed then rubbed his temples.

"We could either kill him or…run away and let him see the consequences of not accepting the offer"

"What kind of idiot would not accept the offer, then" Ikuto snickered.

The boy's eyes were glassy and distant when he answered the blue-haired guy, "Someone who has experienced the warmth of a family and a friend…"

Those were the last things mentioned. After that, they all decided to head down and eat.

I sat there- underneath the bed- feeling mortified and helpless.

Someone wants Nagihiko dead…

Someone…

I knew at the back of my mind that I should probably get out. I needed to get out of here.

But I was terrified.

Finally, after gathering guts, I squirmed my way out of the bed. Before leaving, I stopped by Nagihiko's bedside then…stared at him.

He looked relaxed- innocent.

I traced a finger through his brows before slowly moving it down to his lips. I released an exasperated sigh before shutting my eyes and then running off. I skidded past the halls with no clue where I was headed.

Anywhere…

Anywhere quiet…

Anywhere I can think and calm down…

Suddenly, I bumped into something hard and metallic. I fell back just as I heard a _clang_.

"Mashiro-san?"

I know the voice, but I didn't dare look up.

"Are you okay?"

I wanted to say that I was fine, but I couldn't speak. I couldn't look up. I don't even think that I could stand…

I heard a shuffling noise. I knew what the sound was. I knew that it was Kirishima-kun crawling his way towards me.

"Mashiro-san…"

Suddenly, he lifted my chin.

"Mashiro…san…"

He gently removed my nose guard. That was when I felt it. Water was heavily rolling from my eyes, down to my cheeks. Before I could stop myself, I found myself giving in to my weaker, more fragile side.

I quickly grabbed Kirishima-kun then pulled him into a hug- digging my wet face into his chest.

"K-Kirishima-kun…" I sobbed.

He froze for a moment before carefully patting me at the back.

We were in a deserted corridor in the hospital.

Right now, neither of us had the strength to stand. No one's here to help us.

Still, I'm glad that we're alone.

I'm glad that there's no one but my childhood friend here to see me bawl.

* * *

**Hey everyone! Long time no see! As you can see, I've found my USB. Now, regarding the next few chapters, I was wondering if you guys would like Kirishima or Saaya to make more appearances. I'd like to hear from you! Anyway, 'til the next chapter! See you aga-**

**Wait wait wait! Before I forget!**

**The next chapter will be updated next week at this time. I'm multitasking in fanfic right now. I'm also trying to update this story I haven't updated in so long.**

**-Aherm- **

**Anyway, 'til the next chapter! See you again!**


	13. Those blunt words

**Chapter 13**

Kirishima-kun sighed as he moved the wheels of his wheel chair towards an orange sphere beneath the window. I'm not sure how I should describe it, but for a second, the sun's orange hue had caused his wandering eyes to look rather gold. I could tell in his silence that a million things raced through his mind.

"Mashiro-san, I honestly have no clue as to what is going on but…I really want to help" He mumbled.

I was seated on the hospital bed- the sling hovering just above my head. I gently pushed it away and, with my eyes still following the swinging sling, I replied, "You can help me by not getting involved in this mess, Kirishima-kun!"

"You don't get it! I'm not as defenseless as I used to be! I can be of great help to you-"

"I'm not defenseless either"

He puffed a breath. Slowly, I turned to him. With a sigh, I walked to the couch by the window- sitting right beside him.

"I'm not saying that you're weak, Kirishima-kun. However, this is my problem. You don't need to worry for me" I said. He stared at me for a second before looking away- a tinge of pink somehow finding its way to his cheeks.

I mentally reminded myself to buy this guy some medicine on my way home. He must be ill.I mean, why else would he keep turning red every so often?

"Just don't get into dangerous situations" He whispered. "When I removed your shades, I realized…how…" His face, if possible, turned a shade darker- the color now somehow matching the color magenta. "I realized…how…pretty you've turned out…"

"Thanks! You look pretty good yourself!"

I stood up to get a bottle of water from the fridge. As I walked away, I asked, "By the way, how did you find me?"

"Oh. That"

I chugged down half of the bottled water.

"I asked the nurse at the counter if she saw a short, blonde girl with strange glasses. She immediately told me where you ran off to"

I choked on the drink then looked at him weirdly.

"I didn't think that I looked _that _weird!"

He chuckled then rubbed the back of his head. "I'd rather call it unique!"

I glanced at the wall clock, only realizing then that it was getting late. Papa probably met up with my mama somewhere in this hospital, and right now they're probably getting into a heated argument. There's really no point in waiting for either of them. I need to walk home before it gets dark.

I turned to Kirishima-kun- a weak smile intact in my face.

"I'll see you again, Kirishima-kun!" I waved. Before I could turn away, I think that I saw a strange look cross his face.

A strange, thoughtful look…

"I'll see you soon, Mashiro-san!"

"How many times did I have to tell you in our childhood that you can call me Rima?!"

With that, I was off, feeling braver and a lot more daring than before.

I _will_ _definitely_ find the truth. I am not going to back off for fear of my life.

I will get to the bottom of this without fear of what people may think.

Still, despite my promises, I found myself wearing an over-sized cap to school after realizing that the sobbing had turned my eyes sore the next day.

It's not my fault, though! Fear of people realizing that I cried is a different matter!

The moment I stepped into the high school campus, an involuntary smile crept its way into my face. For the first time, I noticed how I have taken such a happy atmosphere for granted.

I realized that...Seiyo High could pass as my first home. I laugh with my friends here more often than I crack a smile with my parents at home.

"Ohohohohoho! Mashiro-san, I, Saaya Yamabuki, am here to once again to challenge you to a beauty flaunting contest to- Ah!"

"Mashiro-sama! Hail our Queen!"

"Rima-sama, please accept this bouquet!"

Suddenly, I found myself being tackled to the ground. Instinctively, I clutched the cap to keep it from falling off my head.

"Rima! Yaya missed you so much! She hasn't seen you for fifteen hours!" The owner of the all-too familiar high-pitches wail was rubbing her cheeks against mine as she said this. Much to her surprise, however, I didn't push her away nor did I scowl at her like I normally would. Instead, I stayed down then pat her lightly at the back.

"There, there, Yaya. I missed you too…"

Yaya hiccuped before her orange eyes widened in shock. She blinked for a second before pulling away.

"R-R-Rima-tan! You're so kind!" She gasped. I frowned as I stood up to dust the dirt off my skirt.

"Have I not always been kind to you, Yaya?"

She slowly turned away from me as her mouth shaped her next words. "Weeeelll…"

"Rima!" My head snapped to the direction of the voice- Amu. For some odd reason, my heart ached with longing. I felt like I haven't seen my friend for a long time when in fact, the last time that I saw her was only yesterday!

"Amu!" I flung myself unto her. She staggered back a bit at my sudden force before chuckling and then patting me on the head.

"Rima, what has gotten into you?" She laughed.

With pouted cheeks, I remained silent as I continued to hug her. Amu and I were once very close. I came close to forgetting that she was the one who changed me for the better. She's…my best friend. For some odd reason, though, I found speaking with her a lot more difficult. I have yet to cry in front of her; I have yet to tell her about how I truly feel about the purple-headed parrot.

As much as I didn't want to admit it, I wanted to be with someone who could understand me- someone whom I can speak girly things with without getting looked at weirdly.

I've known Amu for so long so…why did I tell Nadeshiko about Nagihiko first?

Something…about the violet-haired girl's aura seemed familiar. When I first met her, it didn't feel like the first time at all. It felt as if she was the right person to tell _those _very things to.

Amu was- without a doubt- my best friend so…who the heck is Nadeshiko to me?

I pulled away- an sickening angelic smile never leaving my face. Amu noticed this, because she let out a giggle.

At that very moment, the school bell chimed

"Bye, Amu-chi! Rima-tan!" Yaya waved at us as she made her way to the opposite side of the hall. Amu and I waved back.

As the two of us hurriedly made our way to class, we heard some devastatingly heavy, quick footsteps making its way towards us.

"Yo! Hinamori! Queen!" I heard a familiar, lively voice cheer. I glanced behind me, only to catch the eye of Soma-kun making his way towards us. In his mouth was a loaf of bread.

How he managed to speak with that thing in his mouth? We will never know…

He easily caught up to us. While Amu and I were running as fast as we can to get to class, he simply jogged- sometimes moving ahead and then looking back so he went backwards! To make matters worse, he spoke as he did this, as if mocking our lack of breath and athletic ability!

Why this little show-off…

"-and then I heard from Yaya about how Sanjou-sensei suddenly broke down the other day and cried- isn't that shocking?! _The_ Sanjou Yukari _cried_! No one knew why, though. Speaking of Yukari, have you heard of the girl she failed? Hana-san, was it? Cute girl. Anyway, as you both know, she has had the longest crush on Fujisaki. Did I ever tell you about the time that we had to make a report on anything? Well, her report was about him. Kinda creepy isn't-"

"Kukai!" Amu gasped, infuriated. "Are you trying to make fun of our low stamina?"

Kukai tilted his head as he continued to jog backwards. His expression showed pure clueless-ness. "You girls are tired? You should really do sports more often then. Speaking of sports, I heard that Tadase started jogging every morning. By the way, where is Tadase?" he glanced around.

Amu and I groaned as we endured the boy's rants. We feared for a second that it would drone out forever, but then the second that he was at his desk inside the classroom, he was silent for he had fallen asleep.

Other than the fact that no purple-headed nuisance kept bickering at me, everything was the way it should be. A group of girls crowded a table- giggling and squealing about something I probably wouldn't care much about; the boys would constantly glance at me- whispering and sniggering amongst themselves; students stared at Amu- admiration and intimidation evident in their eyes; Kukai was sleeping- oblivious to the flashes being directed at him

"Mashiro-chan…" I looked up, only to come face to face with Nakamori Ayumi- the girl seated behind me. She had mid-length, brown hair that was usually tied to one side. Though her face was normally lit with a smile, today, it was covered with a look of anxiety.

Her hands fumbled with her green tie as a hue of red slowly made its way to her face.

"Um…is Fujisaki-kun coming back soon?" She asked. "I…um…have something I wanted to give him…"

I stared at her for a moment- my mind lost in a puddle of thoughts. Finally, I smiled then nodded.

"He will come back…"

She smiled back, and before she could reply, the door slid open. Nikaidou-sensei, our homeroom teacher, had burst into the room. Although Nakamori-san could've given me quick thanks before returning to her seat, she froze and remained silent as she stared at the teacher; so did everyone in class.

That's because Nikaidou-sensei, who would normally make a clumsy and humorous entrance, entered the classroom today, a strange, ominous aura somehow surrounding him. At the very instant he entered, the atmosphere dropped to anxiety.

Everyone in class felt it. Even Kukai somehow woke up.

In less than five seconds, a class that was booming with excitement and rowdiness was suddenly silent.

Awkwardly…silent…

The sensei sat on his chair then arranged his books before filling up a record notebook.

All of his actions, I noticed, were unnecessary. They were things someone would do if they were anxious or nervous…

"Everyone…" He finally sighed as he put down everything he held.

"I was told this morning that Fujisaki-kun was ill. What they thought was just a flu turned out to be a graver disease. Well…" he paused for a moment before rubbing his temples. The way that he bit his lip before pushing himself to say the next words somehow caused my stomach to flip.

"Well, class…he's dead…"

There was silence. I could tell that everyone was trying to process what has been said.

After a few seconds, I heard items clutter to the floor- _Amu_.

Although I tried to stay calm- assuring myself that everything was a lie…that everything that is being said here is a related to everything I've heard at the hospital…I couldn't bring my heart to stop beating in panic.

The blunt words: "he's dead" somehow stabbed right through me. Nikaidou's statement could only mean two things: that Nagihiko has woken up and accepted the offer to live life with a completely different identity or…

The statement was true.

No matter. I don't even want to consider the latter.

Nagihiko _is _fine!

His vitals were fine! His reactions were fine!

The nurse said so herself! _"He'll be up and about in no time!"_

I refused to consider the possibility of the second option so instead, I found myself silently repeating to myself...

"He's awake. He accepted the offer..."


	14. Insanity

**Chapter 14**

A cold gust of wind caused the tree branches hovering above me to rustle. I stopped for a second then looked up, noticing how bare the sakura blossoms Nadeshiko and I have once enjoyed are now. Winter season's coming. It doesn't look like Christmas this year would be a happy one. Afterall, the news spread fast. During break time today, Yaya had come to us. With tear-brimmed eyes and a forced, quivering smile, she asked us if what she had heard was true. The silence answered her question, and a few minutes later, she was sobbing on Soma-kun's chest.

Soma-kun remained silent. Every now and then, he would ball his knuckles.

Hotori-kun had done the same. His head hung low the entire time as Amu sat beside him in the bench- her eyes wide and distant.

Amu was motionless. For the entire day, she walked like a zombie. It was at the end that she finally broke down and cried.

I tried not to do the same. I tried to be the comforter- the positive character of the mourning group. I wanted to stay confident- to be completely sure that he will be okay.

It was difficult to show that I wasn't worried.

With a sigh, I continued to trudge forward- hugging my arms with cold hands. I needed to get to the hospital- fast.

I craved for relief more than ever now.

Finally, I made it to the place. I saw neither anything nor anyone in my line of vision as I brisk-walked past the halls. Besides the corridors leading to his room, all I could see are images of him. I completely ignored every nurse that greeted me- every sick patient that needed help.

I didn't even stop before Kirishima-kun's room to greet him.

I needed to see him.

I needed to confirm that he was alright!

Finally, I made it to the room. Without hesitating, I stormed my way in. No one was there; no one but the boy atop the plain, hospital bed. Slowly, I walked towards him.

He was laying there- the same expression he wore yesterday still intact.

Shakily, I moved my arms to his neck. When I felt a pulse, my heart practically jumped.

Nagihiko was fine…

Nagihiko was alive…

With all the adrenaline gone, I finally felt every ounce of strength in my legs disperse. With my arms still attached to the rails of the bed, I fell to the ground- panting and shivering heavily. I didn't notice until then that my face dripped with cold sweat- that my fine curls have been turned into a mass of mess.

After gulping down enough air and strength, I was finally able to stand up. I scrutinized Nagihiko's face before allowing a smile to spread.

"You really are such an idiot…" I muttered- tears and gasps threatening to escape. "You make everyone worry so much, did you know that?!"

I found myself turning silent after that.

Why? I had so many things I wanted to say to this unconscious know-it-all. I realized after awhile that I was waiting for him to respond.

Without humor, I chuckled to myself.

"I feel so stupid. It's not like you'll reply. Even when asleep, you still manage to piss me off. Idiot…" I sobbed out imaginary tears before mumbling, "I miss you."

-Another humorless cackle.

"You do realize that if you wake up and I find out that you're conscious right now, I'll kill you, right? _No one _in this world can see me doing this right now. No one but…Nadeshiko…"

-She's there one day and then she's gone the next. She also mumbles a lot of weird things from time to time.

"_Don't remind anyone of my existence since I'm going to disappear, anyway"_

What the heck does that mean? I bet that it has something to do with all the hoola-balooms going on. If there's anyone out there who knows about what's happening to Nagihiko, it's gotta be the twin!

"I gotta go…" I whispered to the unconscious boy before stealthily creeping out of the room.

I needed to find Nadeshiko and ask her what's going on. It's probably the only way I can help!

oOoOo

Despite the growing cold weather, I managed to make my way in front of his mansion. After ringing the doorbell several times, the gate opened a hairline wide.

"Yes?"

Although I couldn't clearly see the person hidden beneath the large mass of wood, I could tell that it was Baaya-san. Without wasting a second, I attempted to push the door open. She pushed it back to a small creak.

"I need to find Nadeshiko!"

"The young mistress is not here right now and she never will be. She moved to Europe after finding out about the young master's death!"

He's not dead, darn it! Why the heck are they pretending that he is?

Once again, I attempted to push the door open. She continued to counter my force.

"You're lying!" I snarled, "-just like the time you told us that Nagihiko had a mere flu!"

"Don't make me call the cops!" She spat. I continued to push harder- she did the same.

How strange. Why wasn't anyone helping her? She could just call for the mansion's guards or other maids for help but…the weak old lady was doing all of this by herself!

"Fine!" I gasped, exasperated. When I stopped pushing, the door suddenly slammed shut. "Keep up your lying game! I'm going to find out the truth eventually!" and with that, I stomped towards one of the neighborhood houses. After flirting with one of the boys and then asking for an incredibly long ladder, which I used to climbed past half of the gate (for the other half, I used the vines) I found myself behind the mansion's walls, unscathed.

I observed my surroundings as I slowly made my way to the door.

The grass was untrimmed, the hedges were crawling with pests, and the sakura blossoms looked dull...

Basically, it began to look a little bit less occupied.

My deduction was proven right when I entered the dully lit interior. The room leading to the large, bustling kitchen was now empty and dark; the maids dusting the carpets were now gone.

The entire place was deserted.

I began my sleuthing when I entered Nagihiko's room.

Hidden behind the cupboards were some dusty old photos of him.

I checked several wardrobes and drawers only to find his dusty clothes.

And- *gasp* how dare he?! I found his cell phone! Why the heck is my name here '_the demon chibi'_? Apparently, I attempted to call him…seventy times? That's ten more missed calls compared _'cree_p_'_ (whom I'm guessing is Saaya…)

Suddenly, I remembered the time that he first went missing. Maybe it was from…then?

Anyway, delete, delete, delete, delete…

I left his room- disappointed for having seen no sign of Nadeshiko. After that, I checked several other rooms and hallways.

No sign…

No sign…

I was brisk-walking past one corridor I've never been to before when I came to an abrupt stop because I saw something amusing- hanging on the wall was a family portrait. In it was Nagihiko's mama, standing straight and gracefully- a soft smile playing across her lips. Beside her was a lean, admittedly handsome man. Though it was short, the man's straight hair had the same shade of violet as Nagihiko's.

Unlike the mama who stood with only a smile, the man was bending down as he ruffled the mid-length hair of a laughing boy. I narrowed my eyes at the boy.

His smile was alien- innocent and wide. I've seen his other photos. Most of the photos of him were being spent with this same man- in some of those photos, they were playing either basketball or some wrestling game. In some others, they were sleeping and oblivious of the picture being taken. However, the photos of this man when the boy had reached grade four had come to an abrupt stop.

The boy was Nagihiko, and come to think of it, he's never mentioned anything about his papa; come to think of it…he's never smiled this wide and carefree.

I stared at the photo for a second longer before releasing a sigh. Nothing!

There's still no sign of Nadeshiko!

"I had warned Nagihiko about you. Why did he not listen…?"

I shrieked before turning to the sound of the foreign voice. It belonged to none other than the woman in the photo- Nagihiko's mother!

"Hello, Rima-chan. Did you know that it's rude to sneak into people's mansions?"

I was still trying to collect myself so she continued- her expression no longer happy and welcoming, "Please leave. Everyone here is still trying to get over my son's death"

"_Everybody_ here? The place is empty! And you're lying, aren't you! I never heard of any funeral! Nagihiko is not dead!"

She pursed her lips, the color draining from her face.

"See? You can't even reply!"

"I find it difficult to admit that my only chi-" She stopped abruptly- realization dawning upon her. I stood there with my mouth hanging agape. She was about to say 'only child'! What the heck happened to Nadeshiko…?

I bowed my head- my voice trailing into a whisper, "Who's…Nadeshiko…?"

"My daughter!"

"Liar…" I muttered. Then, I looked at her. "Who would forget about the existence of her own daughter _twice_? Why do you lie?"

"Rima-san" She started, "Let me tell you this: Once you find out the truth behind this family, you will wish that you should've minded your own business…"

With that being said, she called Baaya.

"The mistress…" the head-maid started as she led me to the gate, "lost her husband the same way that she lost the young master. I suggest that you don't show your face again for any reminders will only upset her…"

Remembering the exchange between the potentially dangerous trio that afternoon in the hospital room, I realized that it was best to keep quiet about Nagihiko. Still, I couldn't help but feel so alone and helpless- like being one of the few who knew of the secret won't change anything. What I'm most afraid of, however, is not being able to tell anyone about anything could cause me to act recklessly. I needed someone else who knew…

I needed an anchor…

I needed Amu.

* * *

**Howdy! So...I'll make this blunt. I need to catch up to school and shiz because apparently, the lessons are getting harder. How you guys manage to balance schoolwork with fanfiction, I will never know...**

**Anyway, I won't be able to update this and 'Her Secret' in a few weeks (though I've already got the plot of the latter story planned out)****  
**

**I hope that you enjoyed this chapter!  
**

**Now, I'll end this author's not with a DON'T FORGET TO EAT YOUR VEGETABLES!  
**


	15. To her relief

**Chapter 15**

The moon's luminous rays cascaded before Amu's house, making it look somewhat like a silhouette. The wind was picking up, and I could feel the crisp fallen leaves patting me lightly on the legs.

_Ding-dong_

I felt the hair at my nape rise as a nearby owl hooted. It's dark- too early for anyone to be up. By continuously ringing the bell of her house, I knew that I'm bothering several people. Still, I didn't care. Amu would be glad to know why I'm here.

She'll stop being so…_depressed_…

That is, of course, _if_ she opens the gate.

I've been ringing the doorbell for the past twenty minutes but to no avail.

I'm not sure if her family is just a group of heavy sleepers or if they're purposely ignoring my desperate rings.

I lifted my arm- ready to ring the bell once again until (much to my relief) the door flung open. A thin, brown-haired lady slowly walked towards me. She was in her robe; there was an anxious look on her face. The lady was Amu's mama- kind, carefree, and motherly.

She stopped before the chest-high gate then softly stared at me before gathering her breath.

"Rima-chan…" she whispered. "Why are you here so early?"

"I need to see Amu"

Then, her face dropped. For a second, I thought that she was going to yell at me for being so (admittedly) rude. I was about to tell her that it was for a good reason- that I came because of an emergency. However, before I could even open my mouth, she shook her head. She then said, her voice shaking slightly, "Something's wrong with Amu-chan. She hardly eats; she won't speak…she locks herself up in her room. I think that she needs her space so it's probably best to leave her alone…for now…"

I slowly inched myself towards the gate.

"What I'm about to tell her is related to the way she's acting…"

She thought about this for a moment- constantly giving me thoughtful looks and sighs. We both knew for a fact that Amu would probably be awake. She's like that when she's sad; she hardly sleeps!

"Just…don't pester her too much, okay?"

I smiled at her- glad that she trusted me. "Thank you!" I exclaimed as she opened the gate- a spine-tingling squeak sounding as she did so. I bowed at her twice before hurrying to Amu's bedroom.

I had knocked on her wooden door several times before I got a soft, shaky reply.

"Who is it?"

"Me!"

There was a few seconds of silence before I heard her footsteps thump its way towards me. When the door opened, I found myself flinging unto her shoulder- hugging her.

"Amu!" I cried. "Cheer up!"

We stayed like that for a second before I pulled away. I scrutinized her face- glad that she didn't look so bad. I mean, yes her hair's a mess and yes! There are big red rings of circles around her eyes, proving that she's been crying but she was clean. And she had enough strength to force a dull smile.

"You're so…cheerful…" she whispered.

"Not necessarily. I just have something to tell you" I collapsed on her beanie while holding down a sigh. "-but then it's something that we need to keep between ourselves" I shifted in the beanie to get into a more comfortable position before sending Amu a happy glance.

She was still seated on the carpet when she continued giving me a disbelieving look.

"Hey…" I said with a slight smile.

"Amu, you okay?"

That's when she made a strained jeer.

"Rima!" she yelled before narrowing her eyes at me. She curled her lips inwards- the red hardly evident. "You really don't have to prove anything to us! We know it! Now stop shoving it in our faces!"

Shocked, I watched as she angrily made her way towards me. Then, she placed her face in front of me- forehead to forehead, nose to nose. Her eyes- a pair of golden orbs with specks of auburn- burnt with range as she stared me down. The glare she sent me was hard- _cold_.

"It hurts, okay? All along I thought that we were a united group of friends but I was wrong!"

"Amu, what are you talking about?" I sputtered.

"You hate Nagihiko! We get it; even Yaya gets it! While the girl was crying you were making happy little dances around us!" then she paused- the sobs and pants threatening to escape. "I-it hurts…"

"Amu, I don't-"

"Rima, I'm sorry but I can't act normal like you! Realizing that he's dead was traumatizing for all of us! I can't _not_ care! Unlike you, I think of him as a really good friend!"

"Amu that's-"

"If you can be _that_ inconsiderate, then you might as well-"

"Amu!" I bellowed, causing her to come to an abrupt stop. She stared at me with the stoned look, waiting for me to continue.

"I wouldn't act this cheerful if he was really dead…"

Her features changed. Slowly, she began to look more and more confused. Silence filled the light-colored room. I allowed a few seconds to pass so that she could let the baffling words sink in.

"Amu…" I cautiously glanced at her. "Nagihiko is alive"

oOoOo

On the way to the hospital, neither Amu nor I spoke. The whole time, she would send me looks that clearly say: 'I swear that if you're joking, I'll kill you'. I would stare at the ground whenever her eyes met mine, suddenly finding the moonlit cement interesting. And…yes. I was honestly…mentally freaking out. I mean…I never knew that the girl even had it in her to roll her eyes, much more glare daggers!

When we made it to the room, she glanced at the bed before fixing her eyes at me. I nodded, signalling that what she was about to witness was no joke. She slowly made her way towards the bed and, at the sight of Nagihiko, threw her hands up. She looked like she was about to shake him until I stopped her. "He's been shot by a gun"

She froze before turning to me, and I was glad that the expression on her face was familiar- clueless.

"Hah?"

"I don't know where he got shot but I overheard the nurse telling _them_ that he'll be fine and 'up and about in no time'"

Amu arms fell limp to her side as she stared at Nagihiko. Slowly, I made my way towards her.

"Who's 'them'?" She asked monotonously. I sighed then glanced at her. Her eyes were locked on mine- eager to get an answer.

And so, I told her all of the things that I heard that time in this very room. Still, I made sure not to remind her about Nadeshiko. I made sure that I didn't mention anything about the trio's offer to Nagihiko when he wakes up. All I told her about was the fact that people are after Nagihiko's life, and that the three that are trying to save him would not hesitate to kill him if something went wrong.

I remember how Amu's eyes widened in shock and then shrink in disappointment at the mention of the name of Hoshina Utau. I also remember the thoughtful look that crossed her face when I described the tall, blue-haired fellow.

"That boy…" she murmured. "If the person that we're thinking about is the same then…that boy is definitely the Tokui guy"

"Really? But the name of the guy I'm talking about is Ikuto"

"Oh really? Then maybe we're not in the same track. Too bad…" Amu sighed. I raised my brows at her.

"Why?"

"Because" She placed a finger at Nagihiko's neck. When she felt a pulse, I saw her eyes relax before she continued, "-that Tokui guy was the guy that took Nagihiko away. Also…" her brows creased. "Tadase-kun seemed to know him. When they saw each other, Tadase -kun became…different. He became…mad…"

My pulse quickened.

"H-Hotori-kun knew him?!"

"I think so. He said that Tokui looked familiar. Tokui claimed that he's not the guy Tadase-kun was talking about…"

At that very moment, I felt my hand move involuntarily. It had grabbed Amu by the arm then began to drag her towards the door me.

"R-Rima? Where the heck are we going?!"

"To Hotori-kun!"

"Why?!"

Suddenly, the door slammed open and I instantly felt my heart drop. The three were talking amongst themselves until they caught sight of us- frozen and shaking beneath their stare. They eyed at us for a few more seconds before Hoshina Utau clicked the door to lock it. Then, she walked towards me and Amu, her dark heels clicking against the marble floor.

"Who are you two…?" She glowered. Amu and I clutched each other's hands.

"We're…sorry. My friend and I got lost" I mumbled before slowly making my way towards the door. I was about to open the knob until someone covered it.

Someone wearing a black school uniform; someone tall…

I mentally gasped as I looked up, only to see Ikuto's figure towering over me. He was staring at Amu- a smirk playing across his lips.

"They're not here just because they got lost, Utau" He said as the grin he sent Amu grew bigger. He slowly leaned in on her, and being the strong individual that she is, Amu just stood there- her face as white as paper. "This little strawberry is the same strawberry that was with kiddy-king that night at the concert"

I saw the green-haired boy sigh. "Sadly, that means that we can't just let them leave…"

I remember my mind blacking out at that moment. Also…I could remember a vague image of Amu running in front of me- shielding me from the three as they slowly inched their way towards us.

* * *

**A/N Hi, everyone! I finally get some free time! My mathematics and other shiz tests are over and...now there's only Filipino, Physics, Economics, Literature and entrance exams to worry about...**

**Damn...**

**I need a break. Fanfiction is my break...  
**


	16. Wake up!

**Chapter 16**

I remember a pair of arms sneakily moving to the area behind my knees, quickly pushing it in so I was being carried bridal style in less than a second. As much as I wanted to, fear has made even my eyes immobilized. I couldn't open them.

Darn it! I am such an idiot! How could I…how could I get Amu involved in all this? And Nagihiko! What do they plan to do to him? They saw us! They know that we know him! Are they going to keep him there? Are they going to shut him up? Are they…are they…

When the strange person who was carrying me stopped walking, I whimpered. I knew that he would drop me. I knew for a fact that there was a window close-by. I wouldn't be surprised if they threw me and Amu off this window and watch us 'til we hit the ground. Suddenly, vivid images of Amu on the asphalt- her bones disoriented and her head oozing with blood popped in my mind.

No. They plan to kill us both. I can't…I really shouldn't have told her! I was so selfish and-

"Ah!" I heard Amu scream. The scream was short- almost immediate. I panicked, but just before I could pry my eyes open, I was dropped too. I held my breath- preparing for a long fall; however, the fall lasted for only half a second. Before I could even open my eyes, I bounced.

"Huh…" I felt what was beneath me- soft and…cushion. I opened my eyes- slightly baffled, then looked around. Amu was beside me- staring at the tall boy that had carried her. It took me awhile to realize that they dropped the both of us on the couch.

Suddenly, Utau leaned in on me- her lilac orbs narrowed when I showed no fear. Then, she scoffed.

"I'll only ask you this once! What brought you two here?"

"Nothing! We got lost!" I lied.

"Lies…" Utau hissed, causing me to frown.

"Anyway…"The green-haired boy interrupted. "How much do the two of you know?"

I continued to act cool and collected. "None" then, I pointed at Utau. "All I know is that she's the famous pop star. Neither my friend nor I know why you're making such a big deal out of this"

"It is a big deal" Utau looked at her nails with mild interest. "That's because you've seen the boy- we plan on making his existence a secret from now on"

I felt Amu freeze beside me. "W-why?!"

Ikuto turned to her. "We'll die if the family finds out that he's still alive…"

Then, silence ensured.

Utau tapped her foot against the floor in impatience before starting, "Anyways, now that the two of you know that he's still alive, you'll be killed too if you tell"

"In the most treacherous and torturous manner, if we may add…" Ikuto snickered. I blankly stared at the three as I thought of ways to get out of this mess. Unfortunately, I had no ounce of stamina on me; Amu was too frozen to think straight. Besides, if the two of us had it in our bones to defend ourselves, then what would become of Nagihiko? We couldn't just leave him there!

"Hey, you two…" Utau said, her mouth looking somewhat like a pout. "Keep this a secret- everything you've seen here…"

"Only if you properly explain what death has to do with any of this" was my immediately reply. Utau clenched her fist as a ticked-off expression made its way to her face.

"Just do it unless you wanna die!"

Suddenly, there were three thumps on the door.

"Hoshina-san…?"

We all paused then turned to the door as a nurse poked her head in. "There's someone here to see you!"

For some odd reason, fear etched its way into the three's faces.

"M-may I ask- who is this person that wants to visit?" the green-haired boy sputtered, obviously trying to hide a shaky voice.

The nurse glanced at Ikuto then blushed before replying, "A man that claims to be Ikuto-kun's father"

The room suddenly became engulfed in a heavy and restless aura. Utau was at loss of words at first, but eventually, she found her voice and told the nurse off. Ikuto then headed for the wardrobe then brought out some hospital gowns.

"What are you doing, Ikuto?" Utau asked in a somewhat whiny tone.

"We're not gonna die just yet!"

W-What? Die?! What does death have to do with this visiting person? What is going on?!

The green-haired boy, however, looked like he understood what Ikuto was planning. He looked at me- the rays of the rising sun reflecting on his spectacles, causing his eyes to be unseen.

"You!"

"What?" I staggered back, mentally cursing at myself for looking like a scared donkey.

Utau grabbed me. When I tried to squirm, she yelled, "Follow our instructions or die!"

Ikuto grabbed Nagihiko by the collar of his hospital gown. This action caught my attention.

"What are you doing to him?!"

"Strawberry!" He called Amu. She was reluctant at first, but when she saw that the trio started moving, she hastily made her way towards him. Before she could protest or even mutter a word, the cat-like boy had shoved Nagihiko at her.

"What are you doing to him?!" I screeched in the midst of struggling as Utau undressed me. Amu, with Nagihiko still in her arms, frowned at Ikuto.

"Carry him to the bathroom and hide there" he instructed. "I'll explain the details later"

I sent Nagihiko a worried glance as he and Amu disappeared behind the bathroom door.

Suddenly, I felt Utau squeeze my head into a light blue cloth.

"W-wha…"

Then Utau buttoned the back of the hospital gown.

"What is-"

Then, the popstar shoved me on the bed before forcing me to lie down.

"Utau, what're you-"

The door swung open. Before Utau could pull away from me she whispered: "Now pretend that you're unconscious…

And with that, I shut my eyes.

"What are the three of you doing here!" the voice of a man roared. I tried not to wince at the harshness. Darn it. Is it really necessary to be this loud? See, this is why there's noise pollution. Stupid, angry men and arguing parents cause this!

I can't believe that I'm breathing the same air as him!

"Mr. Executive Director…" Ikuto murmured. The man turned silent before releasing an aggravated sigh.

"How many times must I tell you to just call me- _never mind_…"

I felt his heavy footsteps nearing me. When I heard the clicks of Utau's heels moving further away from me, I realized that she was making way for him _so that he could come close to me_! Annoying, deceiving trio; they tricked me!

If-this-guy-kills-me-I'll-hunt-them-and-murder-them-slowly-and-I-won't-even-apologize-and-

"Who is this girl?" He boomed. I restrained a cringe- somehow managing a plain, sleeping face. "-and why the heck are you visiting her when you three should be in school?"

"-Or murdering people…" Ikuto scoffed. I couldn't see what happened, but based on the clicks of the heels and Utau's coos of comfort, I could tell that 'Mr. Executive Director' was gravely angered by Ikuto's words.

"When we killed Fujisaki Nagihiko, sir, this girl- an innocent passerby- got hit by accident by one of our badly aimed bullets" I heard the green-haired boy say. Based on the tone of his voice, I could tell that he was bowing as he said this.

I heard nothing after that, though I did feel someone staring me down.

It must be him, darn it! He plans to kill me, doesn't he? I swear! I swear to Kami that if I do die right here because I allowed those three to do as they pleased with me, I will skin them to death using one of the knives in a local store, whose owner I do not like!

"She didn't see anything…" I could hear Utau's hazy, and surprisingly inferior voice. "She didn't see the murder occur so it's fine to keep her alive"

"Well then, who's paying for her stay in the hospital?"

There was a short pause until Ikuto spoke up, "We are"

"What do you mean by that!" His voice was demanding rather than questioning.

"Sir, with all due respect, that means that the three of us are using our daily allowance to keep her-"

"Nonsense!" the man yelled. "I don't want you using up all your money on some useless, flighty passerby! The allowance you receive is from the family!"

"But she'll die!" Utau yelled.

I stifled laughter.

They can be pretty good at making a dramatic scene…

"It's her fault for not observing her surroundings!" I heard him make his way to the door. "I will put an end to the medical services offered to this girl. If she dies, she dies!" And with that, I heard him bang the door. I felt my heart stay frozen- my eyes stuck closed.

There won't be anymore medical services for Nagihiko…

Will he be okay…?

"Hey…" I heard Ikuto say. "You can open your eyes now…"

I dared not open my eyes just yet. What if the creepy man was still here? What if the three were tricking me?

"Hey, Ikuto. Did she really fall asleep?"

Suddenly, my eyes shot wide open. They jumped as I rapidly sat upright.

"Do something about it!" I cried. Utau blinked twice before replying.

"About what?"

"About Nagihiko! What will happen to him? Doesn't he need to stay in the hospital? You _shot him with a gun_ remember?" I realized a little too late that I leaked too much information about myself. Utau sighed, Ikuto snickered while the nerd adjusted his glasses.

Suddenly, the bathroom door flew wide open. All heads swiveled to Amu- her face looking flushed and her breathing was short and difficult.

"E-everyone…" She gasped.

"Nagihiko's…Nagihiko's awake!"


	17. Utau's favor

**Chapter 17**

I stood at the edge of the room, eager to hide my relief and gladness, as the nurse continued to do a regular check-up on him. Honestly…it's at times like these I wished that I could be more open. Take Amu, for example! She sat close to him-fidgeting and squeezing his fingers while she bawled for goodness sake!

Why can't I…why can't I be like that…?

The nurse then smiled at Nagihiko, who smiled back. She told the Utau, the green-haired boy, Ikuto and Amu something that I couldn't hear from where I stood. Finally, she turned her back on them then walked away. Of course, she didn't do so without sending me a knowing smirk.

"He'll be up and about in no time!" She grinned. I suppressed a long, relieved sigh before slowly making my way to Nagihiko, who was now trying to settle himself on a wheelchair.

"You're finally awake" I mumbled. He turned to me- his expression confused.

"When did I leave, really…?"

I turned away from him. "When you were shot by a bullet"

"Wha-ACHOO!"

I eyed Nagihiko for a second before taking out a hanky from my pocket.

"Your immune system is still pretty low so you'll probably get colds sooner or later. Use that to cover your mouth. I don't want to have some runny nose like you…"

Before he could reply, however, Amu squeezed herself between us.

"Don't be deceived! Rima was actually really worried about you!"

"I was not!" I spat, trying to control the hue steadily trailing its way to my cheeks. I turned to Nagihiko. He was pouting, causing his big brown eyes to widen. I flinched for a second before replying, "Okay, so maybe I did worry about you _a bit_ but that's only because if you die, Amu would be sad and I wouldn't get paid back for the almanac I bought for you years ago!"

He chuckled then shook his head. "I could really feel your love and concern"

All of a sudden, I felt a certain fleeting feeling in my chest. I felt somewhat…satisfied and complete. Still, I dared not show it. I turned away from the boy then 'humph-ed'.

"Hey, kid…" Ikuto walked to Nagihiko, a serious expression filling his eyes. "We need to tell you something…"

Nagihiko glared at the boy for a while, pondering whether or not he should trust him. Suddenly, Amu piped in, "I'll come with him to make sure that none of them would kill you!" and before Nagihiko could protest, Amu had pushed his wheelchair outside. The two boys stared at each other, shrugged then silently went after the duo.

When the four were gone, I collapsed on Nagihiko's bed then released my much-awaited sigh. After staring at the ceiling for a few seconds, I put my hands on my face then mumbled, "Thank Kami-sama…"

"Well, it's about time that you showed some emotion"

I gasped then turned to Utau, whose existence I have completely forgotten about. She slowly strut her way towards me. When she pounced on the bed, I sat up.

"I'm not sure about how much you know about the situation…" she started. "-however, you're deeply involved now, so I'll tell you what you deserve to know"

She sat up straight then grabbed a box of juice sitting by the bedside.

"As you can see, my family thinks that we've murder your friend. If they find out that he's still alive, Ikuto and everyone else involved will be hunted down and killed"

"Why do they want to kill him…" My voice ended up sounding sober and soft. Utau narrowed her eyes then sipped from the straw before continuing,

"He's…cursed…"

"Cursed?"

"Not knowing about the curse could be a method of saving your life" And with that, I knew that the topic relating to 'the curse' was over.

"Anyway!" She bit her straw. "I think that you should know this…" she leaned in to my ear then whispered, "Right now, Ikuto and Kairi are probably telling him about entirely changing his identity. Trust me- it's for the best. When he accepts the offer, you may never refer to him as Nagihiko Fujisaki ever again."

I knew that. I knew that he would have to change sooner or later after I overheard what they were talking about that fateful day.

Still-

"-What if I convince him not to-"

"You might die…" Utau stated. I stared at her- shocked by her bluntness.

She continued to slurp on the juice as she continued, "I could die, Ikuto could die, Kairi could die…" then she narrowed her eyes at me. "In the process of finding Nagihiko's whereabouts, they may harm those who are precious to him. My family's crafty"

"But-"

Utau leaned in then whispered, her voice dripping with venom, "Of course, the main target would still be Nagihiko. If they can find him without having to interrogate anyone, they'll kill him…"

I found myself at loss of words. I couldn't help but sob and hic imaginary tears.

Utau slowly moved away. I glanced at her, catching a quick glimpse of a strange expression. I think that the expression may have been…guilt?

"A-anyway…" She coughed. "While Kairi's not yet done tampering the documents, I suggest that you…um…you know…"

"What?" I hissed. Utau glared at me- obviously not appreciating my rude reply.

"I suggest that you find some kind of home for the boy…"

I gawked. What do I look like to her? A land lady? How can I provide him with a house when I can't even provide for my own tuition fee? I can't work! Heck, no one would believe that I'm in high school! A lot of people assume that I'm twelve years old! Where can I find a house for Na-

"Oh…" I mumbled, realization dawning upon me. "You want him to live with me…"

Utau smirked as a hue of red slowly made its way to my face.

We have no guest rooms so if I accepted the offer, the only place that Nagihiko could sleep at without getting caught would be…

"That's okay…" Utau grimaced. "Afterall, you only think of him as a friend, _right_?"

When Nagihiko and Amu came into the room, both looked really shocked and speechless.

"He must've old him about the offer already…" Utau whispered as she hopped off the bed. I made my way to Nagihiko and Amu.

"Hey…" Nagihiko sent me a sad smile. I stared at him for second, noting how pale he was. I sighed then grabbed the handle of his wheelchair before pushing him towards the bed. When there, I sat on the cushion.

"I heard about it- how you might have to disguise yourself as someone else…"

He remained silent. I looked at him- curious as to why he didn't say anything. However, our gazes ended up locking. He was staring at me!

"What?" I shrieked.

He blinked then, with a frown, looked away.

"Nothing…" he mumbled. "Nothing at all…"

I glowered at him before saying, "Anyway, since you have nowhere else to live…" I gulped then took a deep, shaky breath. I needed to look calm.

Look calm- look calm- look calm…

"-I'll let you live with me!"

I saw Nagihiko's eyes widen for a second before he swiftly turned to me.

"Heh?"

I frowned at his reaction.

"I said…that I'm allowing you to live with me since you have nowhere else to go!"

He continued to look at me incredulously. At this, I narrowed my eyes.

"What are you staring at me like that for?" I grumbled. Nagihiko turned away- a smile evident in his face.

"Nothing. It's just that I never thought that the demon spawn would be nice enough to do something like this for me!"

I puffed my cheeks then threw a pillow at him. While chuckling, he covered himself with his arms.

"Idiot! Of course I'll do this every once in awhile! I'm an _angel_!"

I chucked another pillow at him, somewhat causing him to chuckle.

-And while I enjoyed throwing stuff at him, I couldn't help but notice a sad look plastered on the so-called 'Kairi's' face. I decided not to make it obvious that I was looking at him. However, when Amu had come to join the ugly hobbit and me, I decided to be a little less discreet. I now didn't have Nagihiko's full attention so there was a slimmer chance he'd catch me staring.

Kairi had looked down- the sunrays emitting from the window caused his glasses to blare. I couldn't see the eyes behind the glasses, but I could see through his posture that he was exasperated.

He looked at us once more and, noticing my stare, locked his eyes on mine. I expected him to frown, to huff or to simply ignore me but he…sent me a _smile_- a soft, melancholic smile…

When he walked out, I couldn't help but wonder if there was something more to changing Nagihiko's identity.

I mean, yes I wouldn't like it if they cut his hair or made him transfer schools. Still, though. It's not like he _needs_ to move away, right?

It's not like…I won't see him again…right?


	18. Tears

**Chapter 18**

As I peered through the window of our house to observe the scene (which was a war between my parents), Nagihiko shrank down behind the bush.

The boy was obviously horrified. Of course, why wouldn't he be? I've told him stories about how over-protective my parents were as we made our way to my house. Bringing a boy home and claiming that you'll have him sleep in your room for who knows how long definitely wouldn't end well.

"R-Rima-chan…" He murmured. "C-couldn't we just tell Soma or Hotori-kun about the whole situation? Maybe there, the parents won't kill me"

"No!" I shrieked softly without turning to him. Telling them would only put their lives in danger. I already feel bad for getting Amu involved! There's no need to risk the lives of my other friends, now is there?

Nagihiko mumbled something along the lines of, 'Evil…chibi…' before turning away from me- a pout on his face. Just then, my dad stood up from the couch then slowly walked upstairs. My mom stopped screaming then sulked on a couch. I continued to watch the scene. Eventually, mama fell asleep.

"Jerk-face, let's go" I hissed as I slowly grabbed the annoying faggot by the arm.

"Are you sure that we won't get caught, dwarfy?"

Remind me again why I crush on this stupid-head?

"Stop annoying me or I'll leave you in the streets to die!"

He grimaced. "Rima-chan, I'm injured!"

"You're right. The bullet must've made you have brain damage as well"

"Yep. It must have- because all of a sudden, you're starting to look prettier than usual"

At that moment, my mind turned blank. Suddenly, I couldn't make a comeback. To my surprise, Nagihiko himself fell silent. It took several seconds for my voice to find its way. When it did, I said the first thing that came to my mind.

"Idiot…"

And with that, we took the first, silent step inside the house.

"Mama's asleep and papa's probably in their room. If we're real quiet, you can make it to my room unsca- _Eek! _Papa's coming!"

I opened a cupboard beside the refrigerator.

"Hide!" I hissed.

Nagihiko glared at the cockroach inside the hiding place.

"It's dirty"

"Then die"

Without another word, Nagihiko squeezed himself into the cupboard. Papa came down just as I closed the door.

"Rima, you look like you've seen a ghost" He said as he walked towards the refrigerator. I started to fumble with the hem of my coat before biting my lip.

"I've been through a lot these past few days…"

I felt my shoulders turn rigid as I eagerly awaited papa's reply. Although he'd probably ignore me or roll his eyes at what I said, I knew that a tiny spark at the back of my head said that he'd care. Sadly, that little spark of hope simply didn't exist.

"Oh. I see..." He grumbled as he gulped on a can of soda. I huffed a breath to prevent an expression from making its way to my face as papa slowly made his way before me.

"Rima, can you move. I need something from the cupboard"

I felt my heart jump.

"Uh…no?"

Papa gave me a strange glance before scowling.

"Now's not a great time to joke around"

"I'll only move if you tell me what you're getting from the cupboard"

Papa glared at me harder until grumbling, "Great. Now you're just as stubborn as your mother! Why did you have to take after that devil?"

I felt a pang pass through me. For a moment, I froze. Papa, however, used that moment to gently shove me out of the way so that he could inch himself closer to the cupboard. I agonizingly watched as he extended his hand- ready to reach out for the handle. However, just before he could open it, mama scurried into the kitchen. At the sight of papa, her face fumed.

"You!" She grumbled. "I received a call from your client! You didn't tell me that you were transferring companies!"

And so, a long, heated argument erupted. I stood there in the middle of the battle scene with no clue whatsoever on what I was supposed to do next. Fortunately, both parents brought the fight to the garden where all of our lovely neighbors could hear their lovely little chat. I peeked at them from the glass-door before pulling Nagihiko out of the cupboard.

"So do your parents always act like that?" He asked as we silently made our way upstairs. I shook my head.

"Don't let it bother you. They fight about the silliest things"

I opened the door to my bedroom. It was small but spacious. Yellow walls gave the room a lively feel. Standing by the wall was my disgustingly ruffled, peppy bed, and beside it stood a stable, wooden bookshelf. On the middle of the room was an orange carpet, where a small beanie laid atop. The wide balcony taking up a huge chunk of wall allowed enough sunlight to pass through.

When I was younger, mama, papa and I used to sit on the balcony to watch the stars at night...

Nagihiko stopped for a second to observe the room before closing the wooden door for me.

"Oh really? What sort of silly things?" He asked before bouncing above my bed, causing the comforter to crease. I slammed him upside the head with a book, causing him to fall to the floor, before casually shrugging.

"Oh you know- my school life, me, each other…me…"

Nagihiko didn't reply as he rubbed his throbbing head. Instead, he cocked a brow at me.

I raised my brows at him.

"What? Just because I slammed you with a book and made you fall off my bed doesn't mean that you could _stare_ at me like that!"

"You evil, evil little dwarf…"

"You ugly, ugly little hobbit…"

Nagihiko sent me a grim look. "You're right, Rima-chan. I'm so ugly that I've got fangirls following me around in school all the time!"

"Psh! That's because they don't know how much of a jerk you are!"

"That's what you tell me after I've been gone for so long?"

"It's only been nine days!"

Nagihiko opened his mouth to reply but something in my bookshelf seemed to catch his eye. He stood up, grabbed a book before happily slamming himself back to my bed.

I squinted my eyes at the book he held. Why did it look so...

AHHH!

"Oh! My, my, Rima-chan. Is this a -gasp- gag manga?"

"D-don't touch that! Idiot freak purple-headed Gaylord troll…"

I wouldn't admit it to anyone but I somehow missed these petty arguments.

"Why not, _Rima-chan_? Do you secretly love comedy?"

"What is it to yo- hey! Give that back! You're being so immature! Tsk tsk- I'm disappointed!"

It's strange how the fights we have are some of my greatest memories of him.

Trivial little fights like these…are some of the things I feared I'd never experience again. Looking back at those nine days, I couldn't help but feel like the whole thing starting from my first conversation with Nadeshiko was just a dream…

…Afterall, I was with Nadeshiko the first time I uttered the words, _I like him_; I was with Nadeshiko when I first confirmed my attraction to this annoying little show-off…

It was after meeting Nadeshiko that things started heating up…

"_Purple-head_, could you _please_ give me back my book? Pretty please!" I gagged, sarcasm dripping from my voice.

Nagihiko choked then stared at me incredulously.

I'm so glad… that he's back to normal…

"Rima…chan"

I realized a second too late that tears were welling up in my eyes. I mentally gasped before clumsily wiping my eyes using the collar of my blouse.

"Those tears…aren't fake…"

"S-stop being so stupid! They're fake, idiot! Can't you tell? I thought that you were a bona fide actor! I thought that you can differentiate real tears from fake tears!"

Nagihiko fell silent.

"R-Rima-chan, you should've just told me if I was being too hard on you…" he cautiously handed me back my gag manga. I grabbed it, settled it beside me then continued to wipe my eyes.

W-where the heck did all of these tears come from?!

Wait! Come to think of it, I didn't really cry when I was at the pique of my worry, didn't I!

C-come to think of it…I showed no hint of emotion whenever I stood by Nagihiko when the hospital allowed him to stay for several more free nights (Thanks to Ikuto's flirtatious ways). I didn't cry nor did I visit him often for fear that I might spill how much I cared…

I sobbed back tears.

Nagihiko awkwardly stood beside me.

"Are you mad…?"

"D-do you need t-to ask me that? I've been mad at you s-since the day I first l-laid eyes on you…"

"No. I mean about the gag manga and my teasing. Does it bother you that much…?" By now, Nagihiko was squatting beside me. His arm was slightly extended- as if pondering whether he should pat me or not.

With my face buried in my palms, I shook my head.

After awhile, I could no longer speak for the sobs and hiccups kept on lumping in my throat. I bawled, realizing that the tears that I was crying are all the delays of the previous days.

"T-this is so so stupid …" I mumbled.

Nagihiko stared at me. "Huh?"


	19. Busted

_It's been two days since Nagihiko first started living with me._

_It's been a week and a half since the sensei first informed everyone about Nagihiko's supposed 'death'._

_It's also the first time…that I saw Yaya, Soma-kun and Hotori-kun smile again._

"Rima-chi!" the pig-tailed brunette surprised me one morning by glomping me with a massive force, just like the old days. Amu and I stared at her, shocked because of how her personality took a drastic change; she was sullen eversince she heard of what had apparently happened to Nagihiko, and it's only now that she showed her giddy side once again. "Let's buy candy after class today! After that, let's eat parfait! Then we can visit this new toy store! Today will be so much fun!"

"Y-Yaya…" I whispered. The two of us continued to walk in silence, although she stopped just before a window, a sphere of orange light coming from the sun outside, casting upon her features. She tilted her head then smiled a sad, almost painful smile.

"Amu-chi moved on fast and Rima-tan didn't even worry in the first place. After thinking about it last night, Yaya decided that it's best to stop sulking…"

"She's right…"

Our heads swiveled to the direction of the voice- Kukai.

"It was creepy, man. He just kept on appearing in my dreams looking like some ghostly pale corpse. I couldn't sleep for the past few days, and it took a lot of soccer to finally make me realize that Fujisaki wouldn't like this…" The boy slowly made his way towards us. As he did so, his shoulders were sagged and his hands were kept in his pockets.

Hotori-kun had walked into the scene wearing a sad smile of his own.

"Not even I can argue with Soma-kun there…"

"Hey, Rima…" Amu had whispered as we watched Yaya plead the two boys for candies. "I feel horrible. The three of them deserve to know…"

"I want to tell them." I softly stated before turning to my pink-haired friend. "However, telling them would only kill them…"

"Still, though…" Amu narrowed her eyes. "Don't you feel like shivering whenever they talk about Nagihiko as if he's really dead…?"

I sighed. "Just keep knocking on wood or something…"

Before leaving the gates of Seiyo , everyone decided to go home, dress up and meet up somewhere so we could go on a gimmick. Of course, since I was so smart, I left with no idea whatsoever on where everyone was going to meet up. Of course, since I was too afraid to leave the purple creep all alone in my house, I decided to ditch them.

I mean, it's _gotta_ be worth it!

Who knows what Nagihiko could do or _find_ in the dark corners of my room? Say…while I'm not around, he could get his hands on an embarrassing photo of me or something and use it to blackmail me for the rest of my life!

Besides, my favorite comedy is on. I always look forward to watching it after school.

However, the little jerk just had to ruin things for me…

oOoOoOO

"Rima-chan…"

"Nagihiko…"

The two of us continued to send each other hate stares. There is no way I'm going to lose to him. No way no way no way!

"Why watch a silly little gag show, _Rima-chan_?"

"It's my house, my living room, _my_ television. Besides, there's nothing interesting about watching a documentary about Albert Einstein's life"

"It's intelligent, educational and interesting" He was doing those annoying little head tilts and 'innocent' smiles of his.

"-And comedy is fun, lovely and entertaining…" I said in a syrupy tone, shivering slightly at how fang-like my voice turned out.

Both of us took a deep breath before saying in unison, our voices echoing throughout the house, "It's showing right now so allow me to have the remote!"

"No!"

"No!"

"_Die_"

I narrowed my eyes at the boy, who simply held his lips in a straight line.

Silence heavily hung. Each tick or the clock was audible; the 'vroom' of passing cars was perceptible. With each second ticking by, Nagihiko and I stealthily inched our fingers towards the palm-sized remote control between us.

"Nagihko, sweetums!" I smiled sickeningly. "Could you _please_ pry your stupid fingers off my hands before I pry it off for you!"

He shook his head- the smile never dropping. "Only when you let go of the remote control"

"I'll do that when my show is done!"

"Then I won't let go until then!"

I leaned my face closer to his- a low grumble emitted from my chest.

"Let go"

He leaned in as well until we were eye-to-eye. I had to suppress a blush as I felt his cool breath tickle my cheeks.

"No"

Suddenly, we heard a gasp from behind.

"R-Rima? Nagihiko…?"

The two of us froze after hearing the familiar voice.

I thought: _Nagihiko and I are in an awkward position and Amu's just there!_

I thought: _I should probably pull away before she accuses me of liking him._

Still, I just froze- my lips still a few inches from Nagihiko's. Slowly, we turned around, only to come face-to-face with Amu.

"It's not what it looks like. See, Nagihiko was being stupid and all since he won't let me have the remote control and- _Gah_! Purple-head! Let go of my hand!"

She eyed the two of us incredulously for a minute before shaking her head- the pink locks flowing as she did so. Hastily, she grabbed me from the shoulder then pulled me out of the couch.

"Utau told me that she found a place for Nagihiko to live in! I didn't know it was your house!"

"You never asked!"

"Anyway!" Her face was flushed as she continued, "Yaya, Kukai and Tadase-kun are on their way! Why are you leaving him out in the open like that?!"

Nagihiko and I paled.

"W-wha…"

"You weren't listening, were you…?" Amu sighed, the tone and expression saying, '_Nonono! RIMA WAS NOT LISTENING I JUST KNOW IT 'CAUSE WHY ELSE WOULD SHE BE LOOKING SO CLUELESS AND STUPID AND NOW WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE AND TADASE-KUN AND I WON'T HAVE THE CHANCE TO GET MARRIED AND-'_

"Of course I was listening!" _not_.

Amu took a strand of her hair before restlessly twirling it in front of her. "We all agreed to meet up here, remember? Knowing Yaya, though, we might end up spending our time here instead of somewhere else! If you were listening, why the heck is Nagihiko out in the open like that?!"

I glanced at Nagihiko. He furrowed his brows then nodded.

"Hide in my closet" I instructed. With that, he was thumping his way up to my room. Amu raised her brows.

"Since when did he follow your orders without protest?"

I allowed my eyes to linger in the staircase he was at a few seconds ago. "He still doesn't easily follow me around like some mindless slave. However, both of us want to keep the rest safe. Being the owner of this house, I'd know where the best hiding spots are…"

If my parents come home earlier than expected, and if I keep Nagihiko somewhere else other than my room, there's a chance that he can be found.

At that very moment, the door slammed wide open. Amu and I abruptly turned to the door.

"Oh, Amu-chi! You came here first!"

Luckily.

Yaya turned to me then grinned as she moved, allowing us to see the two other boys.

"Yay! Everyone's here!" She cheered.

I wasn't surprised that Yaya did not fuss about the box of chocolate sitting in the middle of the living room table. Afterall, despite her desperate smiles and giggles, Yaya was really having a difficult time moving on. Soma and Hotori-kun were just as fake- both smiled and laughed along with Yaya.

Although Hotori-kun did a better job at hiding his grief, Soma-kun was the only one among the two who could genuinely cackle. It was easy to lead Yaya to my bedroom. Normally, we'd have to drag her. Now, however, she doesn't seem to be as hyper as she normally is.

Before allowing the rest to enter, I creaked the door a hairline wide to make sure that Nagihiko was already hidden. When I saw that the boy was not visible, I completely swung the door open.

"Take your shoes off if you want to stay on my bed. Don't eat food while you're in here. Don't mess with my things, especially with the books in my bookshelf. Don't-"

"Waaah! Rima-tan! You're making Yaya's ears hurt! Why do you have so many rules?!" The brunette wailed as she lay on my carpet. Amu giggled, kicked her shoes off then collapsed on my bed.

"You should be used to Rima by now, Yaya!" She laughed.

I saw Yaya flinch- all signs of giddiness completely erased from her features. She gave Amu a disbelieving look before letting her head hang. After a few seconds, however, she managed to mask the shadow with a happy grin.

"Amu-chi's right!" she turned to me then blinked before saying, "you should be less uptight, Rima-tan!"

I shrugged my shoulders.

At the corner of my eye, I saw Hotori-kun watch our conversation. When Amu came and sat beside him to chat (-cough- flirt –cough-), I averted my full gaze to him. Other than the fact that he was somber, there was nothing very unusual about him. I can't see how he could possibly be related to the group of people trying to kill Nagihiko off…

I felt someone nudge me.

"You're staring at Tadase! Don't tell me that you like him…" Kukai snickered. I narrowed my eyes at the tanned boy.

"I was _observing_ him. I needed to make sure that he doesn't steal my best friend from me"

There was a pause. Then, Kukai pointed at the two. "You mean like that?"

I slowly pivoted my head to where the two sat, only feel the color drain from my face. There was Tadase, clutching unto Amu's feeble hand as he whispered something- a soft flush playing across his cheeks. Amu, on the other hand, was jet-beet red. When Hotori-kun was done talking, they leaned in to each other- their faces barely touching.

That's _waaaay _too close for my comfort…

"Amu!" I fumed, causing the two to freeze.

"I-it's not what it looks like, Rima!"

I arched my brow. "Oh really, now?"

Hotori-kun was blushing as well as Amu stuttered, "S-s-s-see, we were talking! Yes! Talking!"

"-And somewhere along the way, he complimented you and you were about to kiss and-"

Amu and Hotori-kun's heads blew up due to the rising heat.

"W-we weren't going to kiss…"

"What?!" Yaya shrieked from behind me. She hurriedly made her way to the two. "Amu-chi and Tadase-kun were going to kiss?!"

"N-no we weren't!" The two said, their necks getting darker.

"Whoa! This is amazing! Yaya with make a whole report about this and-" In the midst of flailing her arms, Yaya tipped a vase off my shelf. Everyone watched in horror as the vase fell and shattered into a million, glassy pieces. I stared at the vase, feeling heat radiating through me. There was a moment of silence until Yaya softly mumbled "Oops…"- her voice ending with a squeak.

I clenched my fists then took a deep, shaky breath. Then, with a sickeningly sweet smile, I turned to Yaya, somehow causing her to shiver.

"You broke my vase!" I said, the voice somehow ending in a happy note. This only seemed to raise Yaya's discomfort. Suddenly, she ran to me then hugged me.

"YAYA'S SORRY! YAYA WILL NEVER BREAK ANOTHER VASE AGAIN UNLESS IT'S LOCKED AND THERE ARE COOKIES AND CANDY INSIDE AND-"

I pushed Yaya off me then sighed as I made my way to the door. "I'll go get some newspapers and stuff…" then, I turned to Amu. "Watch over everyone"

"Don't worry, Rima. I won't let them know what you're hiding in this room!" She said out loud, causing three pairs of eyes to swerve towards her direction.

I mentally face-palmed.

"Eh? Amu-chi, what do you mean by that?"

"Yeah, Hinamori!"

"Mmhmm, Hinamori-san?"

I decided to abandon Amu and head downstairs to look for the needed materials. Honestly, though…what should I use to clean?

I know that I need a newspaper…and maybe a tissue… What? I've never done this sort of thing before!

Maybe I should call a housekeeper.

Maybe I should use Yaya's money to pay the housekeeper.

Wait a minute. How _do_ I hire a housekeeper?

Darn it! I should just contact one of my slaves. I can do that- yes! I could!

Wait a minute. My phone's in the closet where the stupid purple mutant is hiding at.

_Darnstupidpurpleheadedfreak!_

After settling with a broomstick, some newspapers and a rug, I slowly made my way upstairs. When I was merely a few feet away from my room, and I still couldn't hear anyone saying anything, I figured that something was wrong. I walked faster- eager to see why everyone was so quiet.

Without hesitation, I swung the door open and- _Oh_. _Well…this could be a problem…_

"R-Rima…" Amu cried as she looked up pleadingly at me. "T-they…"

I continued to gape at what, or rather, _who_ was behind Amu.

Those…violet locks…

Those…big, brown eyes…

Nagihiko sat- Indian style- as my friends surrounded him. His eyes flicked to me, as if saying, _'YOOOOOU_ _do the explaining while I just sit here and relax, okay?'_

"Queen…" Soma-kun shakily turned to me. Behind him, Yaya and Hotori-kun stared disbelievingly at the violet-haired boy, who awkwardly chuckled.

"You…owe us an explanation, Rima-tan…" Yaya mumbled as she turned to me, bewildered.


	20. Explanation

**Chapter 20**

I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't mentally hyperventilating. I'd be lying if I said that I was trying not to look like the panic-stricken Amu. I'd be lying if I were to claim that my heart wasn't going to jump or my rib cage- ready to pounce the purple headed creep in the face.

Well, I am a liar. That explains why I was looking rather stoic as I silently sat on the carpet to face my skeptical friends.

"N-Nagi's alive!" was the first thing Yaya said after half a minute of awkward silence. She immediately turned to the boy, her expressions a mixture of relief, hurt and something I couldn't point out. However, I could tell for sure that no way was she thinking right. Tears not only welled up in her eyes. Her entire face was wet, and her nose was a deep shade of scarlet. Her small twin-tails bobbled with every hic.

"W-why were you hiding from us, Nagi?!" She yelped before burying her face in his sleeves. Soma-kun and Hotori-kun stared, awestruck. I feared for a second that the two had gone mute until Hotori-kun spoke up, his brows scrunching, "Fujisaki-kun, we were all so worried. Everyone thinks that you're gone so…"

"YOU WERE HIDING IN MASHIRO'S ROOM THIS ENTIRE TIME?!" Kukai hollered.

"It wasn't like I _wanted_ to hide here, Soma-kun. It's just that…"

"-He's a grim, slimy little pervert, that's what he is…" I said. Nagihiko choked then gave me an incredulous look. I could hear his mind screaming, _'What the heeeeeeell?!' _but I decided to ignore it and act like an innocent little angel.

"However, this time, he has a good reason to hide."

At that moment, I heard three heads turn to my direction. Is that even possible?

"You. Explain. Now" Soma-kun said. I turned to him, trying not to scowl since he looked mortified and- _Ooh, I need to take a picture of his woeful expression right now for future blackmail_.

Yaya continued to hic, her left hand clenching on to the sleeves of Nagihiko's shirt (which is actually an old shirt that belonged to my dad. I found it in the attic, but Nagihiko didn't need to know that). She continued to wipe her running tears as she mumbled, "Nagi, you're horrible…" under her breath.

"Well" I looked down, suddenly finding my feet very interesting. "Remember that day we went to Hoshina Utau's concert?" Three pairs of heads bobbed up and down. I decided not to comment on how Yaya, Soma-kun and Hotori-kun looked a lot like bubble-heads with fish lips so I continued, "Hoshina-san is actually a part of this strange, strange family that is, for some odd reason, trying to kill Nagihiko and every Fujisaki that has this quality which…I completely don't understand. Anyway, her brother shot him that day, hence, him winding up in the hospital. Those were the days that Baaya-san claimed that he had colds-"

I stopped, noticing that Yaya and Soma-kun were starting to look restless.

"Uh…are the two of you okay…?"

I could hear the gears of their brains working, trying to let my statements settle. Then, Soma-kun walked towards me before lazily leaning on me- a look of pride was worming its way to his face.

"Now, now, Mashiro. Now's not the best time to joke around!"

I felt a twinge of prissiness appear on my face before I turned to him to growl

"You're digging your own grave, Soma!"

"You're hilarious, Queen! First you claim that Hoshina Utau is actually some badass lady behind stage, then you say that Fujisaki's actually been shot?"

"She's not lying, Soma-kun" Nagihiko (who was trying so hard not to tip over because of the bawling girl) said. Soma-kun turned to him, and they stared at each other (giving facial gestures every now and then). "They are out there right now, looking for their next victim. When I woke up, Hoshina-san and her comrades told me about what their family's like. I realized that, thanks to the sight of me out cold that day, the family thinks that I'm dead. If any of you say anything about me actually being alive right now, they'll literally ambush you, your family; _everyone who's related to me_, just so that they could get to me. So…" a malevolent smile beamed from his innocent-looking face. "Unless you want to die _or_ run around the football field in cheerleading outfits, I suggest that you help Amu and Rima-chan keep me hidden!"

There was a moment of silence after that. I couldn't tell if it was from their relief of seeing Nagihiko talk healthy again, because of the content of what he said, or because of both.

"Well, tell me details some other time. It looks like any more information could cause Yaya's head to explode!" Soma-kun said, pointing at Yaya (who was, indeed, paralyzed from the shock). "Besides, just seeing you pulled a lot of weight off my chest, man!".

Suddenly, he walked towards Nagihiko. Amu and I watched in mild interest as he ruffled jerk-face's hair before giving him a bear hug near by the neck (causing Nagihiko to sputter and choke). Yaya managed to shake the paralysis off in no time. She was bouncing around, claiming that it was her turn to glomp 'Nagikins'. All the while, Hotori-kun stood at the sidelines, watching the three. I couldn't help but notice the luminous aura he held at that moment. However, he eventually shook it off when he smiled (causing the typical sparkles to radiate from his face).

"I'm glad that Fujisaki-kun's alright!" He said. I swear. I could hear Amu's heart beat beside me.

"Well…" I sighed, turning to the said girl. "What now, Amu?"

Slowly, she shook her head.

"I…guess that we should just keep hiding him and see how the events play out."

"Hey, hey, Rima-tan!" Yaya yelped, passing around the table to get to me. In her hand was Nagihiko, whom she's been dragging around eversince she first saw that he was alright.

"Yaya saw this _cute_ little cake shop! She wants to go there! With Nagi! Can we? Can we? Can we?!" She leapt, causing the pigtails to flop up and down. I instinctively turned to Nagihiko.

"I dunno…"

"I'll be fine, Rima-chan" He assured me with a smile. Instantly, I felt my stomach flip.

"But you need a disguise…"

"No problem!" Soma-kun immediately placed my scarf above Nagihiko's head before forcing the 'poor boy's' head into a cap.

"I still won't allow him to eat sweets, though…"

As soon as I said that, I heard silence ring.

"You sound like a frantic housewife, Rima-tan" Yaya piped in. Needless to say, that comment caused me to tip over.

"That's stupid. I wouldn't marry Fujisaki if he were the last man on earth!"

"You'd marry Nadeshiko then since she looks a lot like me" He whispered, his tone sounding somewhat like a song. I sent him a glare, promising death.

"I have to admit, though…" I said balefully. "I would opt for Nadeshiko over you. Why, she's much sweeter, nicer and kinder! Besides, she knows something about me that you don't!"

Nagihiko quickly tucked a hair strand behind his ear, a nervous chuckle emitting from his lips. "I-I see…"

"Anyway~ Ri-ma-tan!" Yaya tackled me from behind. I tried not to fall flat on my face, and failed. "Let's go out with Nagi~"

"Mmmrmmmphrmm"

"What was that, Rima-tan?!" She said. I could feel her leaning in on me as I pulled my face from the carpet.

"I said _get off me, you loony banana_!"

Yaya immediately got off me, and I looked up just in time to see Nagihiko cringe when Yaya pulled at his right arm. That's when I remembered-

"Nagihiko can't go!" I yapped, immediately running to Nagihiko's side. Everyone turned to me, clearly confused as to why I'm suddenly hectic. I gulped before turning to Nagihiko. He had an incredibly baffled expression, and as he sent me a 'what are you talking about' look, I tried not to squee like some rabid fangirl.

"The idiot got shot by a gun, remember? He only got off the wheelchair a few days ago. I don't want to send him back to the hospital if something went wrong. Money doesn't grow on trees, y'know!"

I saw Amu's face scrunch up, and I could hear her inner voice saying, 'Oh yeaaaaaaaah!'.

Yaya, Soma-kun and Hotori-kun, however, looked somewhat concerned.

"Will you be okay, Nagi?" Yaya asked, coming over to his side to stare him in the eye. She cocked her head slightly to the side as she said this.

"Yeah. Where were you hit, anyway?" Hotori-kun said as he walked towards the annoying jerk face.

"In the abdomen" I crossed my arms then looked away before casually shrugging. "He's fine. That's all that really matters"

"Well then, when Nagi gets well, we'll all hold a super duper extravagant party!" Yaya cried, hopping into my bed so that she could jump on it. I sent her a venomous look before she could set a toe on my mattress, causing her to sulk on the floor.

"Yeah. That sounds like a good idea" Nagihiko murmured.

"Heck yeah, it is!" Soma-kun playfully ruffled purple-head's hair. "We'll see you tomorrow?!"

"I can't…go to school anymore…" The three's faces fell. Then after a few seconds, Hotori-kun mumbled softly, "We'll come by here after class, then"

Nagihiko forced a smile before looking at them.

"See you then!" He waved as the group, including Amu, disappeared behind the door.

When they were gone, Nagihiko sighed, grabbed the bedding from my closet then settled it in my floor.

"You're going to sleep already?" I asked. To my surprise, he didn't look back at me. Instead, he froze then sighed.

"I didn't think much about how much I will have to lose in order to keep everybody, including myself safe…"

"But you don't have to lose much! I mean, you'll change your appearance a bit. You might also have to transfer schools. Big deal! You can still live here! We can still…" I trailed off. "Everyone can still see you, right…?"

All I could hear then was a distant siren and the occasional ruffles of the leaves outside. Nagihiko was silent for a moment, and with each fleeting second, I could feel my blood run colder and colder. Finally, Naghihiko turned to me. He was smiling.

"Yep!"

**the next day  
**

I woke up the next morning because of a very frightening dream. I don't remember what it is, though. But I can vaguely remember bells, and flowers and a white gown.

Details _details_. I'm sure that those won't really matter, anyway.

I looked down to check ou- _glare_ at Nagihiko, who was still sleeping, before peeking at the window. It was sunrise. The hue casting from my large window caused everything in my room to take the shade of orange. It was a peaceful atmosphere.

It was calm.

Come to think of it, I've been waking up to this sight pretty often nowadays. I wake up earlier than normal, mostly because of strange dreams which I often times forget the second that I wake up.

Sluggishly, I slipped on my slippers, hopped off my bed then proceeded to do the usual routine before school- brush my teeth, take a bath, wear my uniform and tame the curls.

I curled my fingers around my schoolbag, ready to bolt outside before either of my parents could wake up and start arguing, but I stopped. Slowly, I let go of the bag then walked towards the bedding, the soles of my shoes making a thumping noise as I did so. Without a second thought, I sat on the floor, pulling both legs up to my chest as I watched Nagihiko sleep.

I never understood how fangirls grow to like him for his outer persona. I'd detest this calm, athletic charismatic boy. At first sight, I instantly hated him- walking with Amu, hand in hand, with a cool, confident smile on his mocking face. I mean, sure we were kids, and holding hands didn't necessarily mean that you're romantically involved (back then, anyway) but seeing Amu be herself around someone else other that me back then caused me to seethe…

Something about the way that his mid-length dark hair fell perfectly back then made me livid.

I wasn't afraid to hide my hate towards someone, and Nagihiko was no exception.

Still…I wonder when- in the midst of those senseless bickers- did my feelings for Nagihiko grow. Maybe it was that time he cried when we were nine? Or maybe it was that day he'd lent me his coat when we were stuck in the rain…

Maybe it happened eventually? Maybe there was no specific time. Maybe my feelings grew as I got to know him…

What did I see in him, anyway…?

I slowly brushed a hand through his cheek. It was cold…and soft. I couldn't help but flush a bit. Quickly, I pulled away then looked around.

What was I doing?!

This is wrong. So wrong! I'm supposed to hate Nagihiko. Well…no but…I'm _not supposed_ to openly show my affection! This is not me! I'm Mashiro Rima- cold, ice queen Rima!

Obliviously, Nagihiko placed a hand on top of mine. At the contact, I felt my muscles freeze.

Then, he furrowed his brows in an endearing way.

_Cute_.

"Otoo-san…" He whispered, and I instantly felt my heart drop. Suddenly, Nagihiko squeezed my hand.

I stared at him for a moment before slowly leaning in. Silently, I cursed myself for probably looking like an ogling Saaya. Still, I couldn't help it.

Nagihiko's usually…perfect.

Right now, though, he looks like a lost child.

An admittedly handsome, _sleeping_ lost child…

I ran a finger through his violet strands and, before I could stop myself, quickly brushed my lip against his cheek.

When I pulled away, I could feel the blood spurting my ear.

I'm a horrible person. I feel like some sick, malicious pervert. I can't believe that I kissed him in his sleep.

It's only in the cheek, though. It's not like I kissed him on the lips. Actually…another kiss wouldn't hu-

What am I thinking?!

But then again, I'm a hormonal teenager. You can't blame me for thinking that he smelled nice. You can't blame me for liking it.

Yes, but still. _He was asleep_ and he wouldn't have liked it!

Saaya would've done the same, though-

-but I'm not Saaya!

Suddenly, my phone rang. I was muttering death curses at myself as I carefully fumbled with the tiny device.

"Hello?"

"Rima!" Amu was on the other side of the line. "Everyone's gathered in my house! You're the only one we're waiting for!"

"Oh, is that so?" I said, standing up. I opened ran out the door (making sure to lock it) before loudly thumping my way down the stairs. I headed for the fridge, grabbed a cold bun, stuck it into my mouth then ran off.

"Sorry! I overslept!" I lied.


	21. Here he comes

**Chapter 21**

My day had already started out hectic, and Yaya just made it a gazillion times worse. She murderously plummeting me to the ground while rubbing her cheek against mine, and at first I was planning to let her go unscathed until she said those very words I dreaded.

It wasn't, "Ri~ma, come with Yaya so we can take over candy land forever!"

Nor was it, "Ri~ma, the firecrackers we planted beneath the teachers lounge last month finally burst and now Yukari-sensei want to speak with us!"

"Ri~ma!" Yaya giggled as Amu peeled her off me. "Did you and Nagi do anything this morning?"

"_Anything_ is a general term, Yaya" I said, attempting to maintain a composed exterior, and failing. My tone ended up sounding more like a venomous hiss.

"Fine then!" the girl gaped, slightly backing away from me. Soma-kun and Amu followed suit. "How's Nagi?"

"Living…breathing…" I mumbled. Right now, the group was making their way to Seiyo High. I was lagging behind, and Yaya decided to stay with me. Eventually, Amu decided to strut behind too so only the two boys were walking ahead.

"Aww c'mon, Rima! You know we want to hear more details!" Amu tilted her head, her pink strands swishing to the side as she did so.

"How can I give you more details?" I allowed my caramel eyes to pierce right through her. "He was asleep. I _ignored_ him. I didn't care much about the he-she thing lying on the floor just like the worthless little worm that he is…"

"Ohh! Ohh~" Yaya immediately shot her hands up, frantically waving a camera that she got from only-Kami-knows-where. "Nagi's asleep?! Yaya must take a picture! It will sell at a very high price!"

"Ah, yeah…" I mumbled. "Except maybe for the fact that his existence is supposed to be kept secret?"

Immediately, Yaya's arms fell limp and she allowed her pulp lips to form a pout.

"Pu…" she said, puffing her cheeks.

Amu let out a giggle before giving Yaya a comforting pat on the back. She was saying something like, "Well at least his fine" in a hushed tone while I continued to stare off into space, trying not to look like some dreamy, lovesick teen who constantly thinks of some sick, retarded things like, '_Ohh~ I wonder if he likes me back. I wonder what I should wear today- hey! These polka-dotted matching panties look good; must show these to him!_' in those nutty deranged heads of theirs.

"Rima?" I shook my head to escape from the trail of thoughts then looked at the owner of the voice- an Amu wearing a _very_ devious smirk. Beside her, Yaya stood with a half innocent, half taunting grin.

"You look like some daydreaming lovesick teen" Yaya said, her voice dripping. "You were thinking, '_Oh, I wonder if Nagihiko's fine- all alone in my room_!' huh?"

I scoffed, trying to shape an uninterested facial expression.

"Maybe I was. But that's only because the sick pervert might go through my underwear drawer while I'm not there to watch over him. He's like a child, I tell you. If you don't keep constant watch over him, he'll be off doing something mischievous"

"Nagi's not like that!" Amu defended. "Nagi's a gentleman!"

"That's what they all say" I said, rolling my eyes.

"And they're right!"

"Yes. In their nonexistent world, that is"

"Rima-tan, why are you always so mean to Nagi?" Yaya piped in.

"He pisses me off"

Amu sauntered to my side, a knowing smile worming its way to her face. "But you worried about him anyway"

"Well of course!" I sputtered. "Although he's annoying, demonic, sickening and creepy, he still (_Ugh! Must I say it?_) my friend"

That was probably the first time that I said anything like that about him. Of course Yaya and Amu just had to fall silent and stare disbelievingly at me. They just had to make matters worse!

I managed to mask an unfazed look as I stared at the two.

"What?"

"R-Rima, you…"

"Didn't you say that you hated Nagi?"

"I do…" I said before walking ahead of my two dead-panned friends. "But not enough to want him dead"

-oOoOo-

Time went by at a snail's pace. I've been drowning out the voices of several teachers that day, cursing myself for allowing Nagihiko to cross my mind every so often.

Still…I highly believe that I'm not at fault for dozing off. Academics are boring.

He was not.

However, worrying about how I kissed him this morning was nerve-wrecking. At the back of my mind, I thought, 'What if he was awake?'

No way, right? He was sound asleep. Nagihiko _definitely_ wouldn't prank me like that. Besides, _if_ he was awake, he would've opened his eyes within the seconds I spent ogling after the kiss. That is unless he feared what I might do if I found out that he was awake…

It _is_ highly probable that he _did_ chicken out considering that I can be quite the charmer when I am mad and…

Wait. That means that there's a possibility that he was awake!

The possibility's only about…five percent of a hundred, right? There's no way he'd find out. There's just no way!

"Mashiro! Can you _please _give us the equation to this problem?!" The teacher sent me a spiteful glare that could rival my own. He adjusted his wide spectacles. It flashed, making his eyes obscured.

I snapped out of my daze.

"I'm sorry. You're voice is very humdrum. Could you repeat the question, please?"

He paused then stared at me- his lips pursed in a straight line. Just before he could yell at me, however, the bell rang. Class was over, and immediately, Amu walked over to me. The teacher was muttering something dark under his breath as he gathered his things. He sent me an appalling look before disappearing into the corridors.

-oOoOo-

Going past the gates of Seiyo, I noticed how the temperature suddenly dropped. It looks like winter's coming at a fast pace this year. It's still November and already, some people are starting to wear woolen hats; several shops that I've seen before were filled with coats and boots; scarves were spreading like wildfire.

Of course, Amu just had to be _such_ a genius.

The girl threw her coats and woolen hats away, not even thinking about the fact that winter is fast approaching! That explains why we're here, standing before the shopping mall right after class.

As I looked up at the building, tilting my head up so I could eye the mall's entire size, Amu stood beside me, looking down as she counted her yen.

"I think that I have enough money for scarves, coats, woolen hats, mittens and boots…"

"Uh…no you don't"

"How can you say that?" she said, almost in a whimpering tone as the two of us made our way inside. I allowed my eyes to scan the shops as I replied, "You're Amu. One of each item wouldn't satisfy you. You need to get at least five of each garment, and all of them must be unique"

Amu opened her mouth to protest, just as a mannequin wearing a red and black striped coat caught her eye. She continued to eye the doll display behind the glass until I sighed.

"Go ahead. Try all the clothes you want. I'll be sitting in a bench there, criticizing every outfit you wear"

She turned to me, her honey-colored eyes tackling me with sparkles.

"Really?!"

I couldn't help but allow my lips to tug upwards. "Go ahead"

And with that, she scampered her way towards the store. I was about to enter it as well until something caught my eye.

Something…that somehow stood out from the bustling mall's crowd

Something…_someone_…that looked awfully familiar…

"NADESHIKO!" I found myself yelling. The said person froze at my voice. I didn't have the time to wonder why she would react that way because next thing I knew I was tackling the girl into a hug.

"R-Rima-chan!" she squeaked. "I-it's great to see you again!"

I squeezed her tighter, not minding the giggles and stares we received from bystanders

"T-that hurts, Rima-chan…" she said in an agonizing yet soft yelp. I immediately pulled away, but not before noticing something.

"Your clothes…" I hummed. She flinched as I continued, "I have exact replicas of what you're wearing. If I weren't thinking straight, I'd say that those clothes are mine…"

"Really?" she grinned.

"And your maid said that you went to Europe, never to return"

"I got bored there so I returned!"

"Is that headband your using mine?"

"They sell this kind all over Europe, don'tcha know?"

"You're sweating!"

"I've been shopping for hours!"

I stared at Nadeshiko for a little while longer, not bothering to hide the suspicious expression etching its way to my face.

A million of things raced through my mind- one of these being her clothes. The fact that what she's wearing is so similar to the clothes I have in my wardrobe seemed to be too much of a coincidence. A plausible explanation would be that she stole my clothes. However, something about this statement makes it improbable.

Why?

Nadeshiko is uber rich! Nagihiko could call for a Porsche at a snap of a finger so why would she, his sister, have to steal clothes in order to provide for herself?

And Nagihiko…

What kind of role does he play in this, if ever he even plays a role here…?

"I need to speak with you" I muttered before grabbing her hand. She paused before sneaking a glance at the store Amu entered. Slowly, she gulped before turning to me- making sure to blink twice to add innocence to her façade.

"Is something the matter?"

I dragged her with me as I hurriedly made my way outside.

"D-didn't you have friends with you when you entered the mall? You're going to make them wait?"

"She can wait" I grumbled before making a sharp curve towards the basketball court. When we got there, I sat on one of the bleachers, slightly embarrassed because of how my short legs still hung like that of a child's.

"A lot of confusing events have been taking place" I said. For a second, my heart jump jumped with envy as I watched her smooth, slender legs slide through the bleachers as she sat.

"A lot of these events revolve around your family and this supposed…curse…" at the mention of the last word, I glanced at her. She turned pale and her eyes have turned glassy, as if she were looking far.

"I'd like an explanation"

Nadeshiko shut her eyes then sighed. "It's really nothing big, Rima-chan…it's just…"

"Ha!" I pointed an accusing finger at her, causing her to flinch. "So you _do _admit that there's a curse!"

"N-no! Not at all!" she put her hands up defensively. "Definitely! Nothing at all!"

"I'd like to know the reason that a family's after your brother, at least. Afterall, I _am_ hiding him in my room"

At what I said, Nadeshiko shut her mouth, blinked, and then smirked. She turned to me, all evidence of nervousness and anxiety gone…

"You must be glad then, seeing that he's the guy that you've been dreaming about and all…"

"I-I don't dream about him!" I sputtered, mortified. Suddenly, the tense atmosphere's gone. It was replaced to that of teasing...

At the back of my mind, I remember thinking: _She's straying away from the topic, nut-head! Don't fall for it!_

Still…I knew that a tense, heavy atmosphere wasn't what I wanted from Nadeshiko. Around her, I wanted a casual atmosphere wherein I could laugh and be myself.

"If I recall correctly…you did say" she placed a light finger under her chin. Then, without warning, clutched her legs then looked at the sky- a soft smile playing across her face. Before starting her sentence, she flirtingly bats her lashes. It took me several seconds to realize that she was going to mock me.

"-he's so cute and very cool and determined and all. That Nagihiko…_I like him soooooo much_!"

"I-I don't remember looking that giddy!"

"But Rima-chan, I do recall you blushing!"

"I was…tired" I grumbled before looking away, trying to hide the possibly flustered expression.

"Alright, Rima-chan. Don't worry. I believe you" she said sarcastically. I turned to her, ready to protest. However, instead of protesting, I found myself screaming,

"NADESHIKO WATCH OUT!"

Right after I exclaimed, pale hands immediately shot up, catching a fast-approaching basketball just before it could hit her flat in the face.

"T-that was close…" Nadeshiko sputtered, wide-eyed, as the ball slowly bounced off her hand. I watched the whole scene in awe. Who would've thought that…such an elegant girl could have such a quick reflex…?

A few seconds later, she has completely thawed out of her shock. Slowly, we allowed our heads to follow the ball as it bounced down the bleachers then rolled back to the open court. A foot stopped it from rolling towards the grassy plains and, after adjusting my eyes so that it can take in the boy's entire figure, I realized that the foot belonged to none other than Kirishima-kun.

"Mashiro-san…" he whispered, his eyes widening as he said my name.

Instinctively, I found myself standing up. I couldn't help but smile at the boy's presence.

"Kirishima-kun!"

Through my peripheral vision, I saw Nadeshiko glance between the two of us, looking rather flabbergasted. Then, before either Kirishima-kun or I could mutter another word, I felt Nadeshiko tug on my blazer.

"Rima-chan, who's that?"


	22. On the cheek

**Chapter 22**

Introducing the two to each other would've been simple. _Would've_- if _only _Nadeshiko would stop staring at Kirishima-kun as if he had a smoking ape on his head!

I could tell that her curious stare meant no harm, but it was making him uncomfortable! At least the boy learned some skills from me. He learned how to mask a cool smile. Of course, I could easily see right through it, and if Nagihiko were here, he'd see it too. However, it was Nadeshiko here whom he played the mask on.

Sweet, dense Fujisaki Nadeshiko.

"-And this is Kirishima-kun, my childhood friend. We've known each other before either of us could even utter a real word! Our parents were family friends, you see…" I finished. Slowly, I glanced down at Nadeshiko, who refused to leave her seat. Kirishima-kun walked over to her before generously holding out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Fujisaki-san!" He grinned, somehow causing Nadeshiko to flinch. There was a few seconds of silence before she finally cracked a smile. Eagerly, she grabbed the boy with both hands then shook it.

"I must say that you're quite impressive, Kirishima-kun! You not only managed to make Rima-chan smile! You've made her so happy!"

"I-is that so?" Kirishima-kun flushed before nervously chuckling.

"Yes! I mean, I heard from my brother how difficult it is to stop her from cursing at him, let alone crack a smile at his presence. The girl is so hostile around majority of people she'd interact with. My, my. I never knew that she had it in her to be so glad around a boy…"

At what she said, I felt myself instantly stiffen. Obviously, Nadeshiko didn't know that those innocent words had an effect on Kirishima-kun. I mean, she may have said it in such a happy tone but the thing was, she made me sound hostile...which I am. Still, Kirishima-kun didn't know any of this.

"Ahahaha! You must be mistaken! Mashiro-san is the most carefree and peppy girl I know! I remember a few years ago, she donated half of the clothes from her closet to the orphanage, spent her free time visiting the old and abandoned, and made a psychological club that made people focus on the inner beauty of a person!"

For some odd reason, Nadeshiko choked on air.

"W-what?!" she yelped, frantically running her fingers through her slick, violet hair. "R-Rima-chan did _that_?!"

"Nadeshiko, what's gotten into you?" I asked, slightly worried about her sanity. If she were someone like Amu, Nagihiko, Yaya, Hotori or Soma-kun, then I'd understand why she'd be so freaked out. However, Nadeshiko has yet to see my nasty side. All I've shown her during our few meetings is my girly, more fragile side.

"N-nothing at all…Rima-chan!" her last notes ended up going a few octaves too high, making it sound scratched. "That's just…not how my brother described you as…"

At that moment, I felt my blood boil. I didn't bother hiding the frown from my face as I said, my voice sounding much like a hiss, "How _did_ Nagihiko describe me as…?"

She twitched.

Kirishima-kun looked flabbergasted.

I placed a hand on my hip then allowed it to snap to the side as I narrowed my eyes.

"R-really nice things, actually! He told me that you were cute, and that you were an angel and that you were really really really nice and friendly and that he's glad to be in the same class as you this year. He also told me that it's an honor to be really really really good friends with you since you practically ignore and roll your eyes and even sometimes flip-off those you don't know and-" she trailed off, finally noticing that she was ranting.

"Well the first part is obviously a bunch of fibs" I scoffed as I grudgingly threw a thick tress of curls behind my shoulder. "I mean, I've been murdering the boy with demonic glares and mean words. I don't understand why he'd say those things about me"

"The guy's right, though! Rima-chan is an absolute angel!" Kirishima-kun exclaimed, stepping ahead of me so he could meet Nadeshiko's gaze.

"Yes. My big brother is soooo nice, isn't he, Rima-chan?!" she giggled, cocking her head to the side before turning to me with an expectant smile.

I mentally rolled my eyes, slightly irritated by how Nagihiko always has this tendency to easily bring people to his side. However, this isn't a first.

When I was eight, with young Amu bubbly talking beside me as she pulled me past the several houses in the street, I remember feeling ticked-off. Because all she ever rambled on about was: _My good friend Nagihiko this _and _My good friend Nagihiko that!_ Amu was, and still is, my best friend! Seeing her constantly drone on about someone I don't even know made me incredibly jealous. Without even meeting him, I already had this strong will of dislike towards Nagihiko. So, when he offered me his hand that fateful day in the park when Amu first introduced us to each other, I spit on it then stormed off, but not before yelling, "_You're a stupid, gay-looking booger_!"

I sulked in my seat as Nadeshiko and Kirishima-kun went on talking:

_"Your brother sounds so amazing!"_

_"Oh, he is! He's my hero! He and Rima-chan are so close!"_

Kirishima-kun flinched for a moment before regaining his calm exterior.

_"What are his hobbies?"_

_"He plays basketball, and he's soooo good at it!"_

_"Oh, is that so? I like basketball too!"_

_"I can play basketball too! My brother taught me ' cause he's just sooo amazing and he said that Rima-chan completely looks up to him!"_

Another flinch from the brunette.

Someone just…please! Kill me! Just kill me. Now.

"Okay then!" Kirishima-kun stood up, his game-face on. He glanced at Nadeshiko, who was smirking back at him. "You sound awfully confident. Can you show me how your brother taught you?"

"Gladly!" she smiled, her gaze following him as he walked towards the court.

"You're actually interested in the sport?!" I gasped, standing up to meet Nadeshiko's eyes. She twitched a bit, before the usual happy, calm, intimidating smile spread across her rosy cheeks.

"Well, I'm curious. He did claim that he's the top player in his school, and I want to compare him to my brother"

_SWOOSH_

Her head quickly swiveled towards Kirishima-kun when she saw him shoot the ball through the corner of her eye. Again, he got the ball and was dribbling it between his legs. After huffing a breath, he jumped then dunked the ball. I felt my eyes bulge right then and there.

There's no doubt about it. Kirishima-kun has _definitely_ improved. Back when we were kids, he couldn't even dribble a ball and now he's dunking it and-

"No! No! NO!" Nadeshiko yelled, standing up. "STAY LOW WHEN YA DRIBBLE, YA AMATEUR!"

"Heh?" I glanced at her, sadly not being able to mask my perplexed expression. The ball slipped from Kirishima-kun's hands as he stared at the pink-bloused, lacy-booted, rose-cheeked Nadeshiko, who is the epitome of a young lady.

She heaved a sigh before making her way down the bleachers, her long violet hair whipping around as she did so.

"Play and I'll show you what I meant" she said, stepping back and crossing her arms. Kirishima-kun hesitated at first, not really knowing what to do. After awhile, however, he regained his rhythm. He dribbled the ball, passed it around his legs, swirled it, and just as he was about to jump, a stealthy hand grabbed it straight off his grasp before twirling it around its index finger.

The hand belonged to none other than Nadeshiko. As she twirled the basketball around the slender finger, a playful smirk slowly wormed its way to her pretty little face.

"When you don't bend enough, other players can easily tip you over, Kirishima-kun~" she taunted.

Kirishima-kun reached his hand over to Nadeshiko in an attempt to grab the ball, but she bent down, dribbled the ball then passed beneath his arms. He looked back at her, his mouth hanging open.

"See?" she smirked, twirling a stray strand of violet hair.

"Y-your good…" he murmured. "I've never met a girl who could play basketball before. It's kind of not normal in my school…"

"Is that so?" Nadeshiko passed the ball from one hand to another. "My brother taught me the basics and tips during his free time"

"Your brother must be good, then. It would be great to have either of you in our team"

Nadeshiko chuckled darkly before throwing the ball towards his chest. Kirishima-kun easily caught it.

"Sadly, my brother's gone" she murmured before letting her eyes flicker towards Kirishima-kun. I felt my chest contract at the statement.

Several minutes ago, Nadeshiko didn't seem to be surprised that Nagihiko was alright! In fact, she even teased me about him being in my room- getting all mocking and stuff all because I was being all blabby that day and told her about how I felt towards Nagihiko!

Why is she suddenly lying? How did she know that his existence must now be kept a secret?

Kirishima-kun opened his mouth to say something, but ended up closing it again. He looked at the ground. "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay! I've completely let go"

Nadeshiko bent down before sending me a quick glance. I then noticed how the sky had then taken the shade of orange. It's already sunset. I didn't know how to explain it; Nadeshiko's hair definitely didn't flicker like an eclipse but at that moment, those silky, long locks appeared to be ablaze. "Let's play" she grinned, her sunset-lit eyes now boring into Kirishima-kun's.

I didn't know much about basketball. However, even I could tell if someone was good or not. Nadeshiko is clearly a natural. For some odd reason, I found my eyes following her every movement. I watched how her long hair would swish as she moved around, how those feather-light hands would manipulate the ball, how…

…how she's a little too much like Nagihiko.

I have watched the boy play basketball several times. If you remove the girly features from Nadeshiko, I'd say that the way she moved is exactly like _him_. When she plays, all traces of her elegance are wiped clean. She doesn't even mind that her flawless hands and knees are being scratched by blisters and dirt as she would sometimes lie on the grass in the midst of laughter.

Something about the way that sweat dripped from her bangs made my heart skip a beat. Why, though?

'It _must_ be because she looks so much like Nagihiko!' I reasoned. However, she and Nagihiko didn't look only similar. I didn't notice it before, but when she's playing the game, it became flat-out evident.

Nadeshiko and Nagihiko have the same aura…

"How strange…" I whispered.

After the game, Kirishima-kun said that he needed to get back home immediately. Nadeshiko and I ended up walking alone along the empty streets.

"It's getting dark…" she murmured, eyes flickering to the sky.

"Yes. And you still haven't told me why you're wearing my clothes…"

"N-Nagihiko gave them to me!" she squeaked. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"Why did you say he's gone…? Didn't I just tell you that I was hiding him in my room?"

I detest the silence that followed my statement. I could feel her mind whirring with excuses, and I found myself feeling hurt. I know that Nadeshiko's keeping a lot of things from me. However, I keep letting it pass. It's not normally in my character to let things pass…

What is this strange attraction I feel towards the girl? Why do I endure all of this confusion just so that I could still be friends with her?

"It's the curse…" she finally said.

I stopped dead in my tracks and so did she.

"Right now, Rima-chan, I know that you're hiding Nagihiko in your room because there are people after him. If they find him, I know that they'll kill him. And you want to keep him from everyone, including mother and Baaya." she grinned. Then, I felt stupid for standing there, looking like a gaping fish.

"How did you know?" I gasped. Nadeshiko winked before digging something from her pocket. She then brought out a cellphone.

"He texted me!"

"What?!"

Then she pouted, letting out a dramatic sigh as she stared at the screen. "He also told me that he couldn't come back to your house today. He wanted to try out this new water sport by the lake. Since he'll probably be tired after playing, he booked a room there. He did say not to worry, though. He'll keep a disguise on"

"Give me that!" I yelped, jumping to reach for the phone. However, Nadeshiko held it high, making it impossible to reach. Curse my height.

"I just deleted the message, Rima-chan" she said.

"That idiot…" I muttered under my breath. Nadeshiko flinched as I fell silent, thinking of ways to gravely torture him the next time I see him…

"Please don't hurt him. He only wants to try something new!" she squeaked.

"You're too nice" I huffed, walking ahead.

"I am?"

"Yes, unlike Nagihiko. I wonder how the two of you are even related"

"We're both very good-looking!" she said, a devious grin snaking its way to her face. I rolled my eyes before letting a soft chuckle erupt.

"Well, when it comes to ego, the two of you've got it way over your head"

"What?" she cried, her brown eyes widening innocently. "you don't think I'm pretty?"

"Well, your looks are worth comparing to mine so you're _really_ pretty"

"Looks like Nagihiko and I aren't the only ones with high egos"

Then, Nadeshiko fell silent, as if she were thinking really hard about something. I curiously glanced at her. She was holding a breath. Suddenly, she looked at me, her eyes looking eager and determined.

"R-Rima-chan can I…sleep over in your house?"

-oOoOo-

"I still can't believe that you're cutting classes in _Europe_ so that you can goof around in Japan…"

"I can't help it, Rima-chan! When I got the text from my brother claiming that he's fine, I _really_ wanted to see him!"

"But why would he lend you my clothes?" I asked, a blush trailing its way to my cheeks at the mental image of Nagihiko going through my underwear drawer.

"Well…like I said! My parents think that I'm being a good student in Europe right now so I can't bust into the house and get my clothes! Besides, I forgot my luggage at the airport…"

"Is that so?" I sighed, rolling my eyes. Nadeshiko opened her mouth to speak but for some odd reason, the words got stuck in her throat as I worked on unbuttoning my blouse.

"W-what are you doing?!" she gasped, her face now jet-beet red.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I pulled the blouse off then trailed my fingers towards the hook of my skirt.

"Y-you're stripping but…"

"You can change here too if you want, Nadeshiko. The bathroom is still a floor away"

She gulped, gathered the set of clean clothes I'd lent her before heading towards the door.

"I'll change in the bathroom" she grumbled, not daring to look back at me.

When I was done changing into my sleepwear- a short, white, comfortable dress- I set-up Nadeshiko's bedding, turned off the lights then collapsed on my bed.

In the midst of the dark, I heard the door creak open.

"You're going to sleep already, Rima-chan?" her voice chimed. I nodded my head and then, realizing that she couldn't see me, let out a soft, 'Mmhmm'.

I heard some shufflings as Nadeshiko placed the dirty set of clothes in the hamper before scurrying beneath the bed-sheets.

Before I could slip into unconsciousness, I recall a short conversation Nadeshiko and I had.

_"Um…Rima-chan, I have a question…"_

_"Mmhmm…_

_"Did you…by any chance…kiss my brother?"_

_Silence ensured. _

_"On the cheek…" I whispered. "-only…on the cheek…"_

* * *

**Long time no see! I am very grateful to those who are still reading this! I haven't updated in awhile! It's cause the laptop is soooo incredibly slow.** **I've also got several things in school to worry about (*sigh*)**

**Oh, and I love the idea of adding a book cover for each story. I made one for here. And feh...I liked the painting better in real life. I plan to change it. Plan to. I can't really use photoshop well but it looks like it's the best option...**

**Anyway, I hope that this chapter is worth the wait! I'll try to make chapter 23 quick! **


	23. True friends

**Chapter 23**

"Rima-chan!" a voice- soft and high- chimed into my ears.

"Ri-ma-chan~"

"Burbegurglecrackfrb…" I smartly replied.

"Rima-chan, wake up!"

I decided not to respond. If I ignore the voice, maybe it'll go away. When I heard the footsteps clunking away, I mentally smiled, glad that whoever was making the sounds was moving away. But then I heard my curtains rattle, and I knew that there was more to come.

"AH!" I cried as the scorching heat of the sun burned past my lids. "CLOSE THAT! IT BURNS!"

"But Rima-chan, the sunrise is so pretty! I want to spend time watching it with you!"

"The sunrise isn't pretty, Nadeshiko. It's an evil, scorching inferno that is rising today, hoping once again that this will be the day that it'll burn us!"

"It's a pretty inferno then!" Nadeshiko grinned before grabbing my hands and pulling me with her down the stairs.

"W-wait! Don't be so rash! What if my parents catch us?"

"I'll tell them that I slept over!"

"But Nadehiko, that's-"

Nadeshiko quickly whirled to me, loose hair swaying all smoothly as she did so. "Rima-chan, I'm a girl. The worst thing we could've done together was not sleep at all!"

I thought about this. She had a point. This isn't like the days with Nagihiko. Nadeshiko is not a boy! My parents don't mind if Amu comes to sleep over so why should they if it's Nadeshiko?

I nodded, Nadeshiko smiled, and she once again led me towards the garden where we decided to sit on two boulders and watch the evil, scorching inferno rise. It's admittedly pretty, but I wouldn't dare say this to Nadeshiko, especially since I said horrible things about it.

"Hey, Rima-chan" she murmured. I glanced at her. She was looking at the sky. If she didn't say my name, I wouldn't think that she was speaking to me. I would think that she's speaking to herself. "I'm just curious. How long have you and Kirishima-kun known each other?"

"I don't know- maybe around two years before meeting Nagihiko?"

"Oh…" she mumbled. "I think he likes you"

I choked.

"K-Kirishima-kun is a really nice guy and all, Nadeshiko! He'd treat all the girls just the same!"

She smiled, leaning forward to twirl a stray strand of her hair. "I don't know, Rima-chan! He kept on looking at you and," she looked at me then said softly, "he kept on blushing while you were around. If he confessed, what would you say?"

My mouth dropped. I stared at Nadeshiko for a few seconds, blinked thrice, and then giggled. For some odd reason, she flinched.

"Nadeshiko, deary!" I slurred, touching her shoulder. "Everything is starting to make sense. Don't think that you can hide anything from me at this point. I can see what's going on now"

"Y-you do?!" she squeaked, horrified.

"Of course!" I smirked. "You like Kirishima-kun, don't you?"

I felt her shoulders stiffen. Color left her face, and she continued to give me a blank stare. "R-Rima-chan…" she sputtered.

"What? Am I wrong?"

"Y-yes. You have no idea how completely wrong that is…"

"It makes sense, though. And I think that Kirishima-kun likes you too!"

She was silent. Her brown eyes were glassy as she continued to stare blankly at my face. Then, ever so slowly, a small smile wormed its way into her face.

"Well that's too bad, then because I like someone else!"

This piqued my interest.

"What?! WHO?!"

"Oh, Rima-chan…" she sighed, looking at her nails in mild interest. "You wouldn't know him…"

"But I told you mine! Tell me yours!"

A soft flush found its way to her cheeks. However, she shook them away then gave me a wary look. Cute.

"You wouldn't know him"

"But tell me anyway!" I plead, moving close to her face. She looked away then coughed. "Can I guess, then?"

"Go ahead"

"Is he…a foreigner?"

She shook her head.

"So he's Japanese. Uh…" I tapped my chin. "Is he older than you?"

She shook her head.

"Same age?"

"Yep!"

"Do I know him?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted.

"Does he go to Seiyo?"

"Uh…"

"Does he go to your school?"

"Um…yeah"

"Hey, wait a minute" I grumbled. "What school do you go to?"

Nadeshiko pat me on the head. "That's enough information, Rima-chan!"

"That isn't being very fair, Nadeshiko" I muttered. "Will I ever know?"

"I…" Nadeshiko looked me straight in the eye, sighed then slowly looked away. "I don't know…"

It wouldn't be strange to say that I was offended. Why wouldn't she tell me? I mean, compared to mine, her confession would be as small as a speck of dust. There's a huge possibility that I don't know who she's talking about but Nagihiko…he's her brother. She knows him, probably more than I do. And I told her that I like him.

"Rima!"

I stood up, purposely leaving Nadeshiko in the garden.

"Mama?"

Mama was clad in a white robe dotted with several pink hearts. She was seated on the chair, reading the morning paper when she spoke. "Do you remember your grandma Masako?"

Masako is mama's mama. She takes care of me when my parents' fights become big. Though she's old and withering, she's the only adult who can understand me. Obaa-chan has been my mother ever since mama changed. Whenever I go to her house, I would always anticipate a fresh plate of cookies and matcha cake.

"Of course" I shrugged.

"Well, she's sick. Could you spend the day caring for her?"

I felt myself stiffen. Take care? She wants me to take care of my sick baachan?! Does mama not know what happened the last time I tried to take care of someone sick? They got sicker, that's what happened. I don't want obaa-chan to get sicker! That's…that'll make me feel horrible!

"Okay, Rima?"

"But mama I'm-"

"It's the least you can do" she stood up. "After all, we pay for everything you have"

"But I can't nurse anyone back to health!"

"Ask Kirishima-kun to help you, then"

"He-" mama walked out. "-he…doesn't know how to care for anyone either…"

I sighed before sagging myself up the stairs. Nadeshiko was already in my room- no surprise there.

"I'm really sorry I couldn't tell you, Rima-chan!"

"Yeah, yeah…" I waved her off.

"It's because it's…complicated…"

"Sure, sure…"

"You're mad, aren't you?" she whimpered.

I shut the curtains before turning to her.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not"

I opened my closet, grabbed some undergarments then brought it out. Nadeshiko turned away.

"I'm gonna go out for awhile" she mumbled. I felt a pang.

"You can't," I grumbled. "My parents are awake!"

She sighed, never looking at me as I pulled my nightgown off.

"It's not that I don't trust you, Rima-chan. You know that…"

"U-huh…" I mumbled, hooking a bra around chest.

"We don't need to know everything about each other to be friends…"

"I get this feeling that I'm the only one who doesn't know anything, though"

"That's not…"

"Calm down" I said, wearing my skirt. I wore a striped shirt and then wrapped a red scarf around my neck before looking straight at the back of her head. "Nadeshiko, look at me when I'm talking. It feels awkward talking to your back"

She froze. I had to tap my foot impatiently to remind her that I'm waiting for her to turn her head. Slowly…_really_ slowly, she turned to me, revealing a jet-beat tomato red face. She scrutinized me from head to toe then sighed. I realized that unlike Amu and Yaya, Nadeshiko might be the conservative type. Maybe I should dress up in the bathroom the next time I'm with her.

"That's the least of my worries now. I'm going to my grandma because she's sick, and I'm going to ask Kirishima-kun to help me take care of her."

A small smile spread across Nadeshiko's face. She was beside me within a second.

"Ri-ma-chan~" she said, tilting her head to the side. "I know several things about first aid. I'll help you!"

"But Kirishima-kun-"

"Where are my brother's clothes? I'll borrow them"

"They're under the bed inside a box. Anyway, Kirishima-kun is-"

Nadeshiko bent down beside my bed, pulled out the box then disappeared inside the bathroom. I sighed then collapsed on my bed, giving up on the thought of bringing Kirishima-kun along. It's true that I'm mad but she seems like the type to know a lot about caring for people. Still, I need to see to it that she feels bad about not telling me about who she likes. After debating with myself, I decided that unless I needed something from her, I would give her the silent treatment.

**At Masako Bachan's house**

When we entered baachan's house, the first thing I noticed was a lump beneath the blue blanket.

"Masako baa-chan" I said, skidding towards the bedside. Just as I have expected, Masako baa-chan lay there, looking paler than a ghost. She was wrapped in her evening gown, and her mop of silver hair was a mess.

"Rima-chan, is that you?" she beamed, a weak smile forming its way into her face.

"Yeah…"

Nadeshiko gently shut the door then made her way beside me.

"I can hear someone else with you, Rima"

I scrunched up my brows. "There's no one"

"Yes" Nadeshiko smiled, leaning forward to hold obaa-chan's wrinkly hands, "there is. Rima-chan is mad at me. She's been ignoring me this whole time! Baa-san, I am Fujisaki Nadeshiko. It's nice to meet you!"

"Ohohoho!" Obaa-san sat up straight to look at Nadeshiko. "You're friend is quite a looker, eh, Rima"

I felt the pit of my stomach boil.

"Thank you" Nadeshiko said, not looking flattered at all. "My brother's much more of a looker, though!"

"Oh, you've got a brother!"

"A twin, actually"

"Rima, didja hear that? She's got a twin? Why haven't ya told me about him?"

"Because I don't like him!" I grumbled. Nadeshiko giggled while obaa-chan simply raised her brows at me.

"That's Rima-chan for you!"

Right after she said that, obaa-san fell into a coughing fit. I felt paralyzed and helpless as I watched her cough as if there was no tomorrow. Nadeshiko, however, knew just how to act. When obaa-chan fell back on the bed- all sweaty and hyperventilating, if I may add- she planted a hand above her forehead. A strange look washed over her face before she left the room. She came back with a damp white cloth, which she rubbed all over my obaa-chan's face, down to her neck and arms. The actions seemed to relieve her.

Refusing to look feeble, I announced: "I'll go cook up something for you"

"I-I'll come with you, Rima-chan!" Nadeshiko yelled, struggling to stand up as I made my way towards the door. However, I heard grandma stop her. She said something about wanting to speak with her. I wanted to stay longer. I wanted to hear what she was going to tell Nadeshiko. But my pride made me swallow up that curiosity and slam the door as if Nadeshiko wasn't really there.

I easily found the kitchen. It took me about a minute to decide to make rice balls.

Making the rice was difficult. The rice cooker would overflow with water, and when I do lift the cover to see how the rice was doing, I'd realize that the rice is still hard.

After around fifteen minutes, the rice was _still_ hard.

Maybe I should shape it into a ball already?

It will probably eventually turn soft when I put it out.

And so, I decided to follow my instincts and do what my mind has instructed. However, just before I could grab a handful of rice, a hand gently pulled it away. I looked up, only to find myself eye to eye with Nadeshiko.

"You can't open the lid yet, Rima-chan" she whispered. "The rice won't cook that way…"

I decided to ignore her.

"See this red light, Rima-chan?" she said, pointing at the middle of the rice cooker. "When the light goes off, it means that the rice is done"

She glanced at me hopefully. I was still ignoring her. She sighed then left. For a second, I thought that she was going to leave me. However, I heard one of the cupboards opening.

She came back then placed a bag of seaweed strips before me.

"You know what to do from here?"

I continued to stare down at my toes.

She waited for a few seconds. The silence was becoming awkward. Then, she decided to break it with a sigh.

"I can't wait to taste what you make" she grinned before walking away.

Something in me stirred. Damn it damn it damn it! This is a bad feeling, Rima! It's very _very_ bad! It's very similar, too. It's the exact feeling I get whenever Nagihiko is around! Darn…this is so so so so so so sosososo BAD! Nagihiko, where the flippin' hell ARE YOU?!

These thoughts continued to haunt my mind as I made the onigiri.

When I was done, I left the kitchen to stretch. Nagihiko and Nadeshiko are both puzzling people. For now, I want to see someone other than the two of them so that I could think right.

I was relieved to finally find obaa-chan. She was walking towards the staircase. However, just before I could call out her name, she tripped on the first step of the stairs.

Time seemed to slow down. A vivid image of grandma falling down the stairs, her body limp and broken from the severity of her fall, flashed through my mind

This _can't _be happening! She's one of the only few people who understands me! I'm supposed to be caring for her! She can't die! This can't happen! It just…CAN'T!

"OBAA-CHAN!"

But then it happened. She fell, the impact making me hear some spine-tingling cracks.

"O…" I felt the lump in my throat when I neared her body. "O…obaa…"

"RIMA-CHAN!" Nadeshiko yelled, advancing towards grandma. She felt her neck then frowned.

"There's no pulse…"

"B-but…Obaa-chan!"

"Call the ambulance, Rima-chan!"

"O-okay…"

I got the phone from my pocket, and was aggravated since the shaking of my hands made it difficult for me to dial. Eventually, I managed to call the ambulance. As it rang, I observed Nadeshiko.

She placed both palms on baa-chan's chest then pressed several times.

"_Hello?"_

"_Help! We need an ambulance! My…my grandma fell down the stairs!"_

She tilted baa-chan's head back, gasped then slammed her mouth into hers. She pinched obaa-chan's nose then blew. With every breath, I noticed obaa-chan's chest rising.

"_Okay. Where are you now?"_

I gave the receiver the address, though only half of my attention was focused on saying it. The other half was observing what Nadeshiko was doing. She was pumping her palms against grandma's chest again. Then, she blew into her mouth. The process kept on going and going. And with every pump, I could feel the tears threatening to leave my eyes.

After awhile, I heard the ambulance. Several mean cloaked in their first aid uniforms came shuffling in. From the corner of my eye, I saw Nadeshiko make an exasperated sigh.

I left for the kitchen then collapsed on a corner as the men carried baa-chan to the stretcher.

"W-will she make it?" I cried as I heard Nadeshiko's steps thump toward me.

"I don't think so…" she sighed, collapsing next to me. Nadeshiko was gasping. She tried so hard to revive baa-chan; unfortunately, her best wasn't enough. At that moment, treacherous tears left my eyes. I slammed my head into Nadeshiko's chest then bawled as one of the guys carrying the stretchers made his way towards us.

"She made it" he said.

I felt my sobs pause for a moment as my head perked up.

"The CPR saved her. She's going to be okay. However, she did wind up getting a few broken bones. We'll fix it in the hospital. But she's breathing…"

I was beside baa-chan the whole ride. Nadeshiko was beside me, chewing on something that I was far too lazy to ask about.

"Thanks…" I mumbled, looking up to send her a smile. "And…I don't mind that I don't know who you like. It's your secret. Not mine. And I don't want to stop being friends with you just because of this!"

Nadeshiko grinned. Before she could reply, however, I pulled her into a hug.

She hugged me back. We stayed like that. Neither of us wanted to pull away. She smelled of sakura petals- just like Nagihiko. And I wanted to smell it for as long as possible.

God forbid, if Nagihiko hears my thoughts, he would tease me to no end.

"I love you, Rima-chan" she whispers.

"Thanks…" I grin. "Love you too"

I could feel Nadeshiko's muscles stiffen. I pulled away then looked at her. She was smirking.

"And since I love you so, so much, I want to be a true friend. And true friends are honest with each other. And let me tell you this…" she leaned in then whispered, "your onigiri is as hard as a rock, and as tasty as sand"

* * *

**Asfghkl forgive my cheesiness. This is my escape from the un-cheesy reality. **

**Anyway, I hope that this story was worth the wait! And it may not seem like it, but it's an important chapter. So don't forget it! ;)**


	24. The sighting

**Chapter 24**

Words cannot describe how dejected I felt when I looked down at my futon the next morning, only to find a little note saying:

_My mom found out that I'm cutting classes. Sorry.  
I need to go back to Europe! I'll really miss you, Rima~chan!_

Nadeshiko left me again. The very thought left a large, gaping hole in my chest. At some point, I even wondered if she thought of me as a friend that stood out from the rest of the people that she meets all over the world, or if I'm simply one of the many whom she could easily disregard and forget about.

"So you saw her again, huh?"

I nearly screamed at the foreign voice.

Well, it's not so foreign. But it's still pretty shocking to hear a voice other than my own at this moment because when I woke up this morning, I was pretty sure that my room was perfectly Nagihiko-free!

"Where the heck did you come from, you deranged mutant?!" I hissed, making my voice seem angry yet seeing to it that it wasn't loud enough to wake up my snoring parents. Nagihiko pointed at my window; the curtain was flailing around as the rabid winds picked up, and the shutters- _Weeeell_, the shutters were most definitely not closed, nor were they _slightly_ open.

"Where the heck did you learn to unlatch locked windows from outside?!" I yelped, horror being one of the most evident feelings in my voice. "Were you a panty thief in your previous life?!"

"I wouldn't know that, Rima-chan, seeing that I'm not some sort of magical mirror who can see people's past lives" he said, calmly craning his neck forward so that he could see Nadeshiko's letter.

"So you saw each other, huh? I saw her leave. She said that she didn't want to wake you up. According to her, you were sleeping like an angel…" he snickered. "How could she compare you to an angel…?"

"She…compared me to an angel..."

"By the way, Rima-chan…"

"What?!"

"I didn't know that you had thongs"

I felt the air get knocked out of me in an instant. The other day's events, still vivid, quickly whirred through my mind- the mental image of Nagihiko going through my underwear drawer, Nadeshiko's clothes- _Oh Nadeshiko's clothes!_ How could I forget that it was Nagihiko who picked them out?

Oh Kami. Remind me again what I saw in this perverted boy. When did I like him?

Definitely not the first time we met. I can still remember that day, which was eight years ago. Amu was leading me to the park, chattering on and on about this kid that she met. She kept on praising him, and I was scared. At that time, I thought of this kid (who was Nagihiko) as a threat to our friendship. When he held his hand out to me, I spit on it then ran away, but not before calling him a 'Big Fat Booger'.

Maybe I started liking him when he lent me his coat. Or maybe it was that day I bought him his almanac.

Maybe I just really have bad taste, and it just happened!

"First of all, _I did not buy those_! Yaya bought them for me back then as a joke! Second of all," I curled my fingers around a lock of his hair, "-couldn't you have just asked Nadeshiko to go through it, _pervert_?" I smirked, yanking his hair. My action caused the next event- a shrill whine of pain from the boy.

" Owowowowow! Rima-chan, not the hair! Not the hair!" Satisfied that I managed to wipe the grin clean off his face, I let go. He straightened up, and then chuckled. "Still, Rima-chan, a trainer bra? Are you really that fla- owowowowowow-"

"Rima-tan!"

Without loosening my grip on Nagihiko's hair, I faced the door. There, Yaya stood with a visibly troubled expression.

"Rima-tan, don't hurt Nagi!" she cried, quickly coming to the boy's aid just as I let go of his hair. "Whatever Nagi did, I'm sure that he didn't mean to do it! Isn't that right, Nagi?"

The two of them sat on the floor, with Yaya hugging the 'terrified' little mutant who continued to send me fake, woeful look.

"Yes, that's right, Yaya-chan…" he whimpered. I rolled my eyes just before Amu, Soma-kun and Hotori-kun entered my room.

"Ready to go, Rima?" Amu smiled. I grabbed a black headband from the drawer then pushed it above my anything-but-calm mop of prissy hair.

"Yep!"

Yaya let go of Nagihiko then bobbed her way to the door.

"See you after class, Nagi~"

"We'll be sure to fill you up on what's new in school, Nagihiko!"

"Good luck, Fujisaki-kun!"

"Don't let the queen kill you, man!"

Before closing the door to leave, I sent Nagihiko a menacing glare. Through the small crack from the door, I grumbled, "_Die_…"

**After class**

I hate them. I hate everyone who pretends to be depressed about Nagihiko's supposed death. I mean it's not like they have the right to be sad, right? It's not like they know him well enough and personally.

The fan girls are only attracted to his looks. Take that away and let's see if they'll still cling unto him.

The athletes love him 'cause he's a good player- he's normally the team's breadwinner. Plus, hanging out with him could instantly get them a girlfriend.

He is the teacher's pet. He's just a student- a good one. That's all he'll ever be to the bawling teachers' eyes.

Everyone is all moody and quiet. And it pisses me off when the teachers give out seatworks 'dedicated' to him. (It's just another petty excuse to sit around and not discuss anything while the students do all the work)

However, Saaya is not depressed like the rest. She is still spunky, loud, and worst of all-

"Mashiro Rima! Tell me where you're all hiding Nagihiko-sama!"

- suspicious. And hark; she's suspicious of _us_!

After she said her statement, I felt myself- yes- _flinch_, much to her satisfaction.

"I'm not hiding him anywhere, Yamabuki-san. Because Fujisaki-kun's dead," I sighed, looking down at the book I was reading before I had been bombarded.

"No way! You're lying! Because I am his fiancé, it is only right that his family tells my family what happens to him! His mother never called us!"

I flipped a page- the sound it made somehow calming me.

"Maybe they just forgot about you"

"Must I remind you that his family completely adores me?"

"Yes, because strange-looking people with mutated brains are rare. Yamabuki-san, every rare animal, such as the orangutan, is adored"

I never got to flip another page because my poor book was grabbed; the pages were ripped, crumpled, and then the beautiful literary work was tossed into the trashcan.

I knew that Saaya is the type to get into catfights, and what normally triggers it is a comeback. Being the shorter one here, I realized that I didn't stand a chance against her. Well, she could wind up in the principal's office and possibly end up with a bad record but what's a bad record to her? Her family is rich! They are probably one of the biggest sponsors of every leading university in Japan! Also, being the kind of person that she is, this will probably be just another one of her many fights. If I were to lose to her, it would be my pride that's at stake. Besides, why waste my pretty face on _her_?

So, I sob…hic…

And before I knew it, I was crying well-made crocodile tears.

"That was really mean…" I whispered.

About a hundred heads belonging to a chunk of fanboys swiveled to our direction.

Then, at that moment, all hell broke loose.

Saaya screamed as the boys advanced on her. Her fan club, consisting of four girls who were paid to be her back-ups, tried to get through the rampaging mob but were all shoved off. Amu and Hotori-kun stood there at the corner of the classroom, not knowing what to do while Soma-kun sat back and kept on guffawing. A teacher who just happens to be passing by came in then shoved his way in.

The bell rang.

Class was over.

And the fanboys evaporated, just like that.

In the middle stood a very dazed Saaya and Nikaidou-sensei.

"Hey, do you want to grab some taiyaki? I know this stall. The taiyaki there is often fresh at the time we're dismissed from class!" Amu said, making her way towards me.

I grabbed her hand then smiled. "Sure"

The four of us (me, Amu, Hotori-kun and Soma-kun) rounded up the corner leading to the hallways, all the while ignoring Saaya's screams: "MASHIRO AND HINAMORI, I WILL NOT FORGET THIS!"

"Why is it that Yamabuki-san is always mad at Mashiro and Hinamori-san?" Hotori-kun wondered as we made out way to the soccer field.

"She's never mad at me or Tadase!" Soma-kun mused while kicking a soccer ball as he walked.

"Haven't you heard? She may be the president of Nagihiko's fan club, but she does find you two 'attractive'" I sighed, bored. A grin spread on Soma-kun's face whilst Hotori-kun started to anxiously fumble with his fingers.

"I-is that so?" the latter sighed. Soma-kun smirked before slamming Hotori-kun's back.

"You never were good with girls, were you, Tadase!" he hollered. Hotori-kun turned to him then frowned. However, just before he could open his mouth to protest, Amu piped in, "Tadase-kun is really sweet, and kind, and he's really good with girls!"

"R-really, Hinamori-san?"

Soma-kun and I left, knowing fully well how puke-inducing it was to watch them ogle all day.

Eventually, though, it became hardly bearable to be with just Soma-kun. He wasn't quiet, nor was he awkward-_No_! In fact, he was a silly, noisy guy. He was much too noisy for my liking. I mean, as we walked (well, I walked like a normal citizen while he kicked and did all those fancy tricks with his soccer ball as he 'walked'), all he blabbered on about was soccer, and sports, and ramen, and occasionally, _competition_. Yaya, tell me. How _do_ you get along with this guy?

"Ah, Tomari-san!" I yelled, calling after the girl that sat beside me in class. Now, you must be wondering, 'Why is THE Mashiro Rima calling after a girl that is neither Amu nor Yaya?' Well, first of all, I want Soma-kun to stop rambling on about nonsense else I'll explode. Second of all, Tomari-san was red- puffing her breaths and sweating like the Niagara Falls. I'm curious as to why she's like that.

"M-Mashiro-san!" she cried, stopping abruptly to look at me, causing her long, silky pigtails to swoosh forward and back. "H-Hitomi-san just…"

"Hitomi-san just…?" Hitomi Ayaka-san is one of my classmates. She is quiet, slightly mysterious, and a part of Nagihiko's fan club. I'm grateful to her. Afterall, she's not one of those mindless fan girls who like Nagihiko 'cause of his looks (I am _not_ implying that I find him cute!). She likes him because, based on what I saw, he was the only one who was willing to stand up for her when she first transferred to Seiyo in elementary (she was being bullied back then). Therefore I conclude that she has real feelings for him.

"Hitomi-san claims that she just saw Nagihiko in the court!"

I would've fallen flat on my face if Soma-kun weren't there to catch me.

"T-that's impossible! Because he's-"

"She wasn't the only witness! There were several other people!"

"That darn boy" I muttered, quickly running after Tomari-san, wherever she was headed. I could hear Soma-kun following us, but I didn't dare look back. Because at that moment, all that ever crossed my mind was 'Why?'

Why is Nagihiko doing this? The boy isn't a tad bit careless so why would he do this?

I slowed down when I saw the basketball court surrounded by girls.

Girls!

Why the freakin' hell would _girls_ be by the basketball court?!

"Excuse me, 'scuse me!" I said, squeezing myself past everyone. To my relief, the court was empty.

"_But we really saw him!"_

"_Yeah! He was playing basketball alone, then Hitomi-san screamed, 'FUJISAKI-KUN' then he ran off!"_

"_Maybe it was a ghost!"_

"_KYAAAA!"_

I bent my hips then clasped my knee, causing my curls to bounce down my shoulder as I tried to catch my breath. Although the temperature is low, I'm feeling awfully hot. That was probably the fastest I've run ever since I learned how not to trip over my own feet!

"Rima!" I heard Amu yell. I sat on the grass before facing her. She appeared to be out of breath too, but I was far too tired to comment on that. "Did you- _GASP_- hear?"

I allotted a few more seconds to catch my breath before replying to her. "Yes- _gasp_- and if Hitomi-san wasn't imagining things –_gasp_- I'll murder him when I get home –_gasp_-"

"Better prepare your weapons, then!" I heard a familiar voice from above. The voice- husky and deep- caused my heart to skip beat. I was frozen, and only when the crowd decided to dissipate (that took about a minute, mind you!) did I gather the guts and courage to look up at the tree where Ikuto sat.

He smirked. "I see that you're all in a pretty sticky situation"

Soma-kun and Hotori-kun came at that moment- the brunette seemingly out of breath but the blonde staring straight into Ikuto's violet orbs, his burgundy eyes showing a glint of hate.

"Hey, Hinamori, isn't that the Tokui guy from the concert?" Soma-kun said, tapping Amu by the shoulder.

"That creep's name isn't Tokui. It's Ikuto. And he's the guy who shot Nagihiko…" Amu mumbled. Soma-kun's eyes bulged. He got in front of the two of us, a low grumble emitting from his lips as he glared the blue-haired boy.

Ikuto tilted his head before jumping off the tree. He went straight to Hotori-kun, a sneer playing across his face.

"Long time no see, Kiddy King"

All he got in response was a glare promising death. I glanced at Hotori-kun, shocked by how leery and angry he looks. He clenched and unclenched his fists (an impatient action that I thought he'd never do)

"The news will end up being rumors, Ikuto. People will think that it was just some trespasser, and they'll eventually let it go when a better rumor comes up! It won't change anything. We'll keep Nagihiko well hidden until you're done with his disguise!" Amu yelled, stepping forward. Ikuto stared at her- his expression blank and bored. This irked Amu.

"Hey! Are you even listening?!"

"Of course I am, Strawberry. I just don't think that things will turn out as you say- that's all!"

"Of course it will!"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course!"

"Are you really sure?"

"Positive!"

"Are you really, really sure?"

"She's sure," I said, shutting the two up before the quarrel could become pointless.

Ikuto just grinned like the Cheshire cat; it was a grin that caused my spine to tingle- a grin that promised something mischievous.

"Well, I couldn't do anything anyway"

To my horror, he pulled out a knife from his backpack. We all gasped, moving back before Hotori-kun and Soma-kun jumped to get in of front of Amu and me. I was about to scream for help, but then he threw the blade past his shoulder.

"It won't matter at this point- whether I kill you or not. Your friend's secrecy depends on the mouths of everyone who saw him, and whether our leader believes the rumors or not"

* * *

**Thank you so much, guys, for all the reviews! They're really...incredibly amusing to look at, and they keep me motivated! (YAHOO!)**

** Anyway, I've...kinda got the plot of this story all organized in my head. And somewhere in between, I might publish a seperate story about Rima and Nagihiko's first meeting in the park. (It's been mentioned several times here- where Rima spit on his hand and called him a 'big fat booger'...or was this the first time?)**

**And the next chapter will come quick. It's very short, though! It's where the twist starts, though (if you disregard the weird turn of events that's been happening in the past few chapters, that is).**

**I wanna read about your guesses about what will happen. It might give me some ideas :D**


	25. He left

**Chapter 25**

"Guys!" A distressed Yaya screamed, coming towards us. "Yaya heard the rumors!"

We're screwed. We are so, so screwed. It got to Yaya that fast. It will definitely get to that creepy tall guy who is Ikuto's father wearesososososcrewedand I'mgonnadieyoung…

Ikuto gave Amu a strange look.

At that moment, with some freaky sense of…sensing, Yaya _finally _noticed Ikuto standing by the tree and outright…_staring_ at Amu (who is more than aware of his stare so she is hiding behind Tadase, who is glowering at him)

"What happened between the two of you?" I shrilled, referring to the blue and yellow-head.

Hotori-kun's face softened, while Ikuto simply shrugged.

"It's nothing big. Just a family feud"

"And what caused said family feud?" I asked, crossing my arms. I decided to ignore the stares I got from Amu. I know that I was being rude but then I'm curious! And if they don't want to tell me, they could just say so…

"We'd rather not tell" Ikuto scoffed.

Oh. Okay, well…that was a very rude way to say no!

**Later**

When I entered my room, the first thing I saw was a lazy Naghiko sprawled on my bed. He was covered up with my blanket, and his head hung from the edge causing his locks to touch the ground. He looked _extremely_ bored. Because if he wasn't, why else would he be counting the stitches in my green school tie?

Then, I screamed so loudly that the whole town could probably hear me.

"WHERE WERE YOU?!"

Nagihiko immediately fell to the ground- the impact causing a loud, thundering thud that could probably be heard from downstairs.

"R-Rima-chan! How long have you been there?" he stuttered.

"I was here for about a minute, but you were too busy counting the threads of my tie to notice!" I walked over to him then grabbed the green apparel from him. Then, I turned the full force of my glare at Nagihiko. He looked really uncomfortable.

"Where were you?"

"Here"

"Oh" I nodded in understanding. "By the way, Ayaka-san's new bow is really cute isn't it?"

"I didn't really like it. Green doesn't suit her"

"How would you know that if you weren't in school today"

"I didn't. I was…uh…guessing! Yeah!"

I sighed before collapsing on the bed, causing the pillows and sheets to bounce. "They saw you…" I muttered.

Nagihiko was silent, so I decided to look at him. He refused to look at me. He was glaring down at the tie (which he somehow managed to retrieve).

"I couldn't help it. You guys talk about the events that take place in school _all the time_ and I can't even relate anymore. I want to see how things are going…"

"Nagihiko, this isn't like you. You sound like a spoiled little kid"

"So let me sound like a spoiled little kid! I'm not perfect. You can't expect me to keep being calm and insensible about what's going on around me. I _had_ a life too, Rima-chan- a life that I couldn't easily let go of…" I felt my joints become immobile. Somewhere beneath the thick layer of flustering, I felt a pang of guilt.

"You went out to play water sports while Nadeshiko was here, though…" I mumbled, suddenly remembering why my parents are out today (It's because they need to visit obaa-chan in the hospital).

Nagihiko froze and started to fumble with his fingers.

"And besides, I used to lock myself up in my room all the time! You live here too. You should know how often my parents argue"

"I do," he whispered. "I know it's sad, but why don't you try focusing on what you have instead of what you don't have"

"I don't have anything"

"You have a father…"

"He doesn't care about me"

"And you know where your mother is"

"When my parents divorce and I'm asked to live with my dad, I don't think I would"

"They both love you so much…"

"Well they don't do a pretty good job showing it…"

"Rima-chan, can't you _try_ to see what you have?"

"I really shouldn't be the one getting yelled at here, Nagihiko. If Ikuto weren't so forgiving, he would've killed us! You know, rumors about you are starting to spread. If it reaches the ears of their boss, and if he chooses to believe them, then we're all dead"

His eyes grew wide. Several times, he tried to speak but the words seemed to be stuck between his throat. For a moment, I wondered if he could actually be worried about me, but then I realized that it would be more believable if he were actually worried about himself, Amu and the rest. After all, to Nagihiko, I am nothing but the strict sarcastic demon chibi that refused to let him have his way.

Thinking of that hurt. Luckily, years of practice allowed me to master the art of hiding the feeling.

Suddenly, Nagihiko stood up. The sudden motion caused his hair to sway, and I had to frown to hide the flustered look that threatened to make its way to my face.

"I need some fresh air," he stated, turning his back at me and marching away.

I let him go because at that moment, I didn't think of the consequences.

I didn't know how far he'd go.

I didn't listen to the insane weather forecast.

I didn't note how incredibly crafty and horrifying the Tsukiyomi family is…

* * *

**It's short. I know TT_TT ****I don't know how to make this chapter longer without making it senseless. And...I did update this fast so...YAY!**

**Anyway, the week's really hectic and lots and lots of reallyreally weird stuff's bee happening to me in real life. I also need to set my priorities right so expect a slower pace. Don't get me wrong, though. Fanfic's really fun, and if I don't worry about school at all then it would be one of my top priorities. **

**Afterall, if it weren't for fanfic then I'd still be writing like:**

_**Nagihiko: Rima-chan, you are so so so so pretty...  
Rima: R-r-r-r-really...-n-N-nagihi-  
*Nagi kisses Rima*  
(*Random author's note: "SQUEAL!11!")  
Nagihiko: Yes  
Yaya: YESHSHSHHHH!1!**_

**Anyway, special thanks to:  
****XXmizukisakuraXX  
cookiequeen13  
StarTail  
Certified Chocoholic  
Guest  
823nyc  
Day1Directioner  
EVERYONE who reviewed**

and YOU! The very fact that you are reading this already makes me wanna hug you! :D


	26. Rejected

**Chapter 26**

"_Makoto-kun! Please! Don't leave me!"_

"_I have to, Akako-san. I have no choice…"_

"_Uehara-kun…" _

"_Akako-san…"_

"_You are my Romeo"_

"_And you are my Juliet"_

"_You are my one and only"_

"_You will forever be in my heart"_

"_You complete me"_

"_Akako-san… when I die, remember that you will always be in my mind because you are the love of my life, my sunshine and my most precious gift! When I view my life in that last flashback, all I will see is your face because my life started when I met you. I love you!"_

"_No, Makoto-kun! You must not die. I am nothing without you. Because you are my life! Here! Take this shirt with my face on it as a reminder of me, and wear it as you go to war! That way, we will forever be in each other's hearts…"_

Those were the first things I heard when I came down to my living room, only to find a frivolous Amu and Yaya seated before the flat television. They pigged on a bowl of popcorn and helped themselves to _my_ orange juice without _my_ permission!

"What. The. Heck. Are. You. Watching." I spat, the edges of my tone dripping in disgust. The two's heads slowly pivoted to me- both their eyes screamed death for having been disturbed.

"The title of this movie is _'Makako Love Story'_. See, 'Makako' is the combination of Makoto and Akako's names. It's very romantic and tragic!" Yaya sobbed, sniffing her mucus out on _my_ tablecloth.

"Yeah! You should watch it with us, Rima! However, we're already at the climax. Ah well! You'll feel all emotional anyway. This movie is just so…" Amu bawled. "SAAAAD!"

"It's gross" I stated, glaring at the girl on the screen. I think her name is…Akako? "By the way, how long have you guys been in my living room?"

An apparently shocked expression made its way to Amu's face. "We've been here for about two hours! Haven't you noticed, Rima?!"

Ah…_no_.

"How could I?"

"Rima-tan" Yaya said, a serious expression making its way to her face as she gripped my shoulder. "Amu-chi and I have been making loud clackity-clank-clank noises in the kitchen. And we kept on screaming because…" she paused for dramatic effect, "MAKOTO-KUN IS JUST SO HOOOT!"

"You should watch 'Makako-Love Story' with us, Rima. Yaya and I are wiling to watch it from the top!" Amu smiled.

"No thanks" I groaned, rolling my eyes. I'd rather continue wallowing in my own self-pity upstairs. Why am I like this, you ask? Because I didn't know that Nagihiko would go far when he said that he'd leave for some fresh air! I thought that he was only going to the garden for about ten minutes or something.

But _nooooo._

Apparently, he meant that he'd go outside (where there? I dunno!), wearing nothing but a coat and a scarf to disguise him.

He's been gone for about three hours. And no one can tell me that that's a short period. No one can tell me that I'm worrying too much because apparently, it's a small world! And weird Tsukiyomi people are also walking on the very phase of the earth. If they…say…_meet_ (and if by chance, Nagihiko's disguise just happens to off at that time), then we're doomed. And he's doomed.

"Rima, are you okay?" Amu asked, shaking me a little. I snapped out of my daze then stared at her.

"Why would I not be okay?"

"You're glaring daggers at your foot"

"I'm fine" I huffed, "-just annoyed by this cheesy film you're watching"

"It's okay to be cheesy every once in awhile, Rima-tan!" Yaya said, bouncing up to me. "I mean you're always so uptight, scary, mean and unapproachable! You should try fangirling every once in awhile! It's very fun!"

"Do you know what's fun, Yaya?" I challenged. "Going out for some parfait"

Yaya's eyes gleamed.

"YAY! LET'S GO GET PARFAIT!"

Amu smiled, shaking her head as she went to the coat-holder to get her…uh…_coat_.

"Promise us that you'll watch 'Makako Love Story' with us afterwards!" she said. I nodded my head.

"Only since there's nothing else to do for today"

"We should invite Nagi~" Yaya chanted, snuggling her head into her woolen cap.

"We can't," I stated, putting my mitten on. "He left for some place"

This caught the two's interest.

"WHAT? WHERE?!" Amu screamed. I shrugged my shoulders, pretending not to care. "I don't know. Somewhere over the rainbow, I guess?"

"There are candies and unicorns and cookies over the rainbow!" Yaya slurred, prancing around the room. "Nagi should take me with him the next time he goes there so that I could meet Santa and eat his candy canes and cotton candy, and then I will-"

"Are you pretending not to care about him again?" Amu sighed, raising her brows. I gave her a look.

"I realized how utterly annoying, boring and mischievous he is so now I really don't care where he winds up in"

"But the whole school saw him today. We should be more cautious"

I grabbed the metal knob of our main door- it was cold so I flinched.

"The guy's a smarty-pant. He won't easily get caught"

"But Tadase-kun said that the Tsukiyomi family has a bunch of highly-trained assassins. Do you think that Nagihiko could measure up to them?"

I felt myself cringe.

"He'll be…" I started, turning the knob, "fine"

As soon as I opened the door, an incredibly strong gush of cold wind came rushing in. Amu and I gasped, shocked by Mother Nature's strength and power. When the wind died down, we saw that it was snowing like crazy! (After much struggling), we forced the door to a close.

"Nagihiko's still out there…" Amu said, wide-eyed.

"Ayayay…" I groaned, sliding down to the floor. "Didn't he say that _he_ should be saving the girl? In my eyes, he's always the damsel in distress…"

"Why don't you call him?"

"I already tried that" I huffed. "He won't answer"

At that moment, Yaya decided to bound towards us. She tilted her head at Amu and me. "Why are you two so eerie?"

"The wind is so strong" I gasped. Yaya's eyes widened. "The blizzard came in early?!"

"What blizzard?"

"It's all over the news!" Then she cocked her head at us again, "Don't Amu-chi and Rima-tan watch the news?"

I was about to retort with a 'No, do _YOU_?" but then the younger girl shook her head, causing her small twin-tails to bob.

"Never mind. Yaya doesn't watch the news either but she hears a lot from her naggy mommy. Anyway…" she allowed her brows to furrow, and for a moment, a wave of anxiety crossed me. For Yaya to be serious something must be up, "they're saying that the biggest blizzard in fifty years will happen around next week!"

"SERIOUSLY?!"

"It looks like blizzard-san decided to come early…but it doesn't look that bad _yet_" Yaya stated, looking out the window.

"We could still go out!" I said..

"Should we look for Nagi?"

"We should have the police do it!"

And so, we dialed the police. After around ten minutes, it was still ringing. We dialed again and again and it just kept on ringing. No one was picking up!

"Rima, where are you going?"

I recall slamming the door open and hiking towards the great stretch of snow, in hopes of finding the annoying, ugly little hobbit that only proves how horrible my tastes are.

"I'm going to find Fujisaki while the snow is not yet building up. I'll be back before it gets worse."

"Wait! We'll come with you!" I heard Amu scream. I decided _not_ to wait for them and continue to trudge on- hoping that my incredible speed coupled with my strong will would force them to fall behind. I don't want them to get involved nor do I want them to get hurt. I want to be assured of their safety inside my house.

"Hey, Rima! Thanks for waiting for us!"

Amu was beside me in a minute, clad in her favorite beanie and striped coat. Yaya was walking ahead- _smiling_.

"We thought that you were gonna leave us when you didn't respond to Amu-chi, but then we saw that you hardly moved! We knew that Rima-tan would never leave us!"

"Well I'm…nice…" I grumbled, pretending not to be irritated by the fact that they just indirectly insulted my height and inability to walk through apparently thick and chilly ice.

However, the jolly atmosphere brought by the two was eventually put to an end. As we trudged on, we noticed how quickly the winds were picking up. The houses, walls and trees were starting to become nothing but a bunch of shadowy figures as the storm grew stronger.

"S-should we go back?" Yaya asked, snuggling face into her coat.

"No…" I heard Amu softly say.

I huddled my chin into the fleece scarf I wore, letting the blizzard twist my hair around.

It's cold. Even though I was covered by warm garments from head to toe, I could still feel the storm, with its strong wind and snow, burning the skin off my face. At that point, the idea of going back home seemed like heaven. However, it was a long way back home. We could continue looking for Nagihiko and find some house- _any_ house- to stay at. Surely anyone is willing to let us in! What, in this storm, how could they reject us?!

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind flew into my face. I panicked, because at the moment, all I could see was white.

"W-we should continue this tomorrow. Right now, let's look for shelter!" I yelled. I couldn't see very well so I was dependent on the sounds Amu and Yaya make.

When no response came, my blood ran cold.

"Amu? Yaya?!"

No response.

I started swirling my head around, the panic rising when I saw no shadows or any hint of life- no houses, no walls, no trees…

There's nothing but snow.

Why am I so so stupid? I didn't know that it would pick up _this _fast! I assumed that this snow would die down and come back next week, when the weather forecast said that the storm _should_ be (if what Yaya said was true)

"AMU! YAYA!"

Fear caused the tears to brim my eyes, adding to my inability to see.

I wanted so badly to see a house, even if it's beat up or run down. Seeing someone wouldn't be so bad either, especially if it were Amu, Yaya or Nagihiko.

"Amu…Yaya…Nagihiko…" I said, my voice becoming shaky.

For today, luck seemed to be at my side. Just when I was about to give up and curl into a ball, I saw a shadow. It started out small, but it was most definitely coming closer.

It was obviously a person. As the person neared me, I could slowly make out the details.

The wind caused this person's clothes to fly around, so I was able to tell that (he/ she) was wearing a coat. Then, I noticed how this person was walking- calm, with both hands lying inside the coat.

"Rima-chan?"

I felt my heart pound. The voice belonged to none other than Nagihiko.

"Why are you out here?!" he cried, almost angry. Well, he's obviously still well and healthy.

"I-I should be saying the same for you…" I stuttered, not really caring anymore if my voice cracked. I heard him sigh. He bent down then grabbed me by the arm.

"Did you come here alone?"

"I came with Amu and Yaya"

"And where are they?"

"I…don't know…"

"What?!" he yelped. I couldn't see him very well, but I could imagine his brown eyes widen and stay like that as he lets things process. "We should find you a place to stay at…"

His tone sounded urgent. He tightened his grip on my arm and I yelped.

"H-hey! Nagihiko, let go! It hurts!".

But apparently, my protest wasn't enough. He forced me to stand with him, and he dragged me away. All the while I kept on screaming about how much it hurts, and how much he should let go…

"Stop complaining. I'm helping you live so you should be grateful"

Something was off. Why was Nagihiko acting so…cold?

"Well, you don't need to give me bruises now, do you?"

"God, Rima-chan. Sometimes you could be so annoying. You need to know that sometimes, your abusive attitude could be really bothersome. Eventually, even your fan boys will find out that you're only using them and they will go for nicer, prettier girls"

My heart dropped. Somewhere along the stretch of snow, I could see the shadow of what seemed like a house.

The wind died down, and I saw Nagihiko with neither snow nor wind to cover him up.

He was wearing a yellow scarf, a woolen cap and a black coat that flew along with the softer wind. I couldn't see his face, however, because he continued to drag me around like I was some sort of rag doll.

All I could see was the back of his head.

"You can stay at that house for awhile. Maybe Amu-chan and Yaya-chan are there too" he stated, pointing at the house that once was nothing but a shadow.

I pulled my hand away from him with a snap before slapping him on the shoulder.

"WHAT'S WITH YOU TODAY?!" I sneered, checking my arm if there were any bruises. There were. "I went out today to look for you. Can't you be an ounce bit grateful?"

"I ended up helping you, though. Rima-chan, I would've been fine on my own"

"Well, I'm sorry for being worried!" I said. My voice was becoming monotonous. I was holding back tears. "And what do you mean by '_I'll_ stay in that house'? Aren't you coming in as well?"

"I won't"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why?"

He refused to look me in the eye. He just looked at his fumbling toes.

"I heard from my mom again…"

"What-"

"She called-off my engagement with Yamabuki-san. She claims to have found someone prettier and richer. That family could tamper with the documents on their own. I don't need Sanjo-kun anymore"

Then, he looked me in the eye. I was taken aback by the small smile on his face. He didn't seem hurt at all by what was happening. In fact, he looked…happy. Content, even…

"I'm going to leave tomorrow, Rima-chan, and start fresh in a new country. I still need to pack. I don't think that I can see the rest because everything will be really hectic so could you please do it for me?" he touched me in the shoulder then made a sickeningly sweet smile. "Could you tell them that I'm leaving?"

No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no

"No…" I whispered. He raised his brow.

"Rima-chan, it will hurt them for awhile but they'll eventually get used to it"

"No!" I said again, this time louder. "I won't tell them that! I don't want you to leave!"

"But Rima-chan it's my chance to-"

"Are you really fine with this, Nagihiko?! You're getting married to some girl that you don't even know! ARE YOU REALLY FINE WITH THIS?!"

My shoulders were trembling, and beneath the blankets of freaking out, I thought: '_I'm crying. God…there goes every last bit of my pride…'_

Nagihiko sighed before coyly placing a hand on his nape. "Truth is…I've…known this girl for quite awhile. I just couldn't bring myself to tell you guys about her. She is my childhood friend…" then he turned to me. "She knows me more than anyone in this world. Childhood friends are like that. They'll always…_always_ be there for you…"

"I was your childhood friend too! How am I any different from her?!" I said without thinking. Everything was spinning, and I was far too emotional to try and take back what seemed like a confession.

Nagihiko was silent for awhile, and when I finally had the guts to look at him, he was giving me a disbelieving look.

"You always claimed that I was your enemy"

"But you're not really…"

"You're…always treating me like dirt, Rima-chan. I couldn't bring myself to see you as a friend or anything more than a cold classmate. The way I feel about you…falls in line with how I feel about Yamabuki-san…." he trailed off.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

All the worrying…all the crying…_everything_ I went through meant nothing to him!

And our arguments…

And his teasing…

After all that I am only worth comparing to Saaya, who meant nothing to him!

I fall below his team mates…

His fangirls…

The teachers…

Those who don't know him well…

I made a mistake. A _grave_ one! And this grave mistake started when I allowed myself to open up to him!

I never should've let myself be open to him. I _knew _that emotions were unnecessary! _I_ _never _should've…

"The wind is picking up again, Rima-chan…" He said, looking around.

"Go ahead. Go to your fiancé. I'll go to the house when I feel like it…"

"If you stay you might get sick or a get a frostbite or-"

"Go…"

"But if you get sick then I would be really guilty. I can't spend time with _her_ in peace and I'll feel really really bad"

"I can take care of myself"

"No, you're fragile…" For a second, his eyes flicked with an expression of seriousness but I can't be sure now, can I? After all, I can't assume anything. I might assume wrong again. "You need to go in…"

My emotions reached its peak. I felt something inside me snap, and everything reached its ultimate high.

"I DON'T WANT TO EVER SEE YOU AGAIN, NAGIHIKO! GO AWAY AND NEVER COME BACK!"

* * *

**More that a week. Urgh. Darn this busy life.**

**Anyway, thanks for the reviewers: Secret, cookiequeen13, Day1Directioner, Guest, mishixeru, StartTail, SandraStar66, and Kaoru! **

**I hope that this chapter was okay. I just finished reading 'Let it Snow' when I wrote it ^_^**


	27. Good morning?

**Chapter 27**

When I woke up the next morning, I couldn't get up.

_Literally_.

My head felt like it had eleven dumbbells attached to it, my eyes felt droopy, and my body felt so, incredibly cold.

To put it simply, I felt sick. And no, I'm not _just_ sick with a cold or fever. I felt like I had bad case of the flu!

Okay, back to the part where I couldn't get up; it's very very _very_ bad considering that I don't know where I am. The ceiling was white (it's completely different from the beige, wooden ceiling I have in my room), the bed sheets were thinner and smelt of men's perfume, I couldn't hear my parents arguing and breaking stuff downstairs, I couldn't feel Nagihiko poking me on the cheek, and I could _feel_ a pair of eyes outright ogling at me

"W-where am I…?" were the first words that managed to leave my mouth. Whoever was staring let out a loud squeal of joy.

"Rima!"

Amu.

I felt my heart warm up at the sound of her voice.

"You had me so worried!" she screamed. To my utmost horror, I realized that I couldn't completely open my eyes. I feel so helpless…

I couldn't see well, I couldn't even turn my head without feeling a painful pang in my brain.

"I…feel sick"

"You are…" I heard Amu murmur. "It's no surprise. You're strong. You were apparently out during the worst part of the blizzard. Yaya and I panicked when we realized that you weren't trailing behind us! I was so…_worried_!"

Amu's arms were around me in an instant, warming me up in the inside. I felt a smile spread on my face as I pat her on the arm, hoping that it would ease her sobs.

"I'm fine…"

"Good"

"By the way…where's Yaya?" I groaned, attempting to sit up. A damp towel fell from my forehead as I did so.

"She's downstairs making soup with _him_"

"Who's 'him'?"

There was a moment of silence. Despite the heavy throb in my head, I managed to look at Amu.

"Your childhood friend Kirishima-kun"

I felt the throb grow more painful. "Why is he here? And where are we?"

"We're at his house. He's really nice, Rima. He invited us in himself. When we came in, that's actually the time that we realized that you weren't with us"

Several things were going through my mind.

What happened?

Why did Amu and Yaya have to come in?

When was I not with them?

Everything that happened yesterday was still so hazy.

"When he realized that we were your friends, and that you were apparently still out there in the snow, he started freaking out. The poor boy…" Amu sighed then sat beside me. "He kept on staring out the window the whole time, hoping to see you. He wanted to save you so badly…"

"Save me from what?"

Amu gave me a disbelieving look.

"The blizzard, Rima. The blizzard! How can you forget that? You were apparently in a life-or-death situation last night!"

Last night…

Last night…

"Can you tell me what happened again, Amu? I'm still a bit dizzy…" I sighed, clutching my head. She sent me a worried glance before nodding in understanding.

"We went out to look for Nagihiko. Then somewhere along the way, the wind and snow became really strong to the point that all we could see was white. Then, for some odd reason we saw this house. I walked here assuming that both you and Yaya were following since I could hear the footsteps. But then I realized that the footsteps belonged to Yaya alone, and you were gone. Kirishima-kun heard your name while we were freaking out, and when he realized that you were out there, he went crazy. That's when we realized that you knew each other. He later on told us that you were childhood friends"

Images from last night were beginning to flood my mind: The time I realized that I was missing- I remember it. Then I saw a shadow. My memories stopped from there.

"Kirishima-kun just kept staring out the window while Yaya and I were forced by his mother into warmer clothes. When we came back, he was still looking out the window- only this time, instead of looking worried and depressed like when we last left him, he was standing up, looking like he was ready to bolt. It all happened on a whim. He went out, stayed out for a few minutes and came back carrying you in his arms. He looked really bothered. He won't tell us what happened. That's what Yaya is trying to squeeze out of him as they cook"

For some reason, I felt my stomach churn as the vivid memory of the shadow slowly started to paint itself clearer. What happened last night?

What was that shadow again?

Why do I feel all nauseas just thinking about it?

"RIMA-TAN!"

At that moment, Yaya decided to come in. And the moment I saw her, I prayed to Kami- "Please don't let her drop that tray on her hand!"

Suddenly, she started to sniffle. Her sniffles were then followed by tears until she was outright bawling.

Oh god! The soup! Please! It's a precious little thing that must be kept safe and sacred!

The soup…

Please keep the soup safe…

"Rima-tan, you're awake!" She cried, darting towards me. Due to some sort of miracle, the soup made it there to my bedside, _unharmed_ before she raised her arms to hug me. "You had Yaya so worried, Rima-tan!" she cried in between sobs. I decided that it wouldn't be wise to pull away and make some sort of remark, but Yaya was squeezing me far too hard. I might get strangled to death, and she wouldn't like that either!

"That's no reason to choke me, Yaya" I teased. The younger girl frowned before sending me a fake, woeful look. "You don't say that to Yaya when she didn't get any sleep last night worrying about you!"

"Mashiro-san!" A voice that I've heard far too many times cried out. I turned to Kirishima-kun, smiled, and then asked him to come over. We embraced each other for awhile until I decided that he was also close to choking me.

"Amu said that something was bothering you…"

His expression shifted from euphoric to bothered

"It's…nothing, Mashiro-san…"

"You're still saying that?" I said, playfully punching him in the arm. "And besides, how many times have I told you not to call me 'Mashiro-san'?!"

Yaya and Amu gave us strange looks.

"It's nothing at all. I was just…worried…"

"By the way…" Yaya blurted, looking at Amu. Behind the relieved expression and trail of tears, in her eyes, I saw a twinge of worry. "I wonder if Nagi found a place to stay at. I wonder if he's okay…"

I felt the air get knocked out of me. And somewhere from the corner of my eyes, I saw Kirishima-kun flinch.

"Yeah. We went through all of this in search for him. I wonder if he found shelter"

Yaya's attention shifted to my arm. Her orange eyes widened for a few seconds before she screamed, "WAAH! RIMA-TAN! YOU HAVE BRUISES ON YOUR ARM!"

I flinched as my hand flew over to the wound. I looked at it, and suddenly…I'm not exactly sure about what happened but suddenly…my mind reverted back to the memory of the shadow. I couldn't see it well because of the blizzard, but I could tell that the shadow was coming closer. The snow cleared out, and when I looked up to take in its entire figure, I realized that that shadow turned out to be Nagihiko- a playful smile was spread across his face.

Then, in a quick whoosh of memories, I remember what he said…

I remember what _I _said. And my heart ached with longing at the realization that I will never see that playful smirk again.

By now, he's probably flying somewhere on a plane, looking down at the small island of Japan. While he looks down, he's not thinking of Soma-kun or Hotori-kun or Yaya or Amu or _me_. He's thinking of _her_- his fiancé- and his smile is huge because of that. He won't miss the memories- no- because his last few days here were sad. I kept him trapped in my bedroom, and he was being hunted down by assassins.

He won't come back. And if he does, he wouldn't have the guts to show himself to me because that's what I said. I told him never to show himself to me again…

I won't see Nagihiko ever again…

"-ima! Rima!" I snapped out of my daze at the sound of Amu's voice. Apparently, she's been calling out to me. And my mind was far too clogged to notice.

"Rima, are you…okay?"

I felt something wet roll down my cheeks. The trio's eyes widened as then stared at me in shock.

"A-Amu, I…" I felt the words hanging. "Amu is there…is there something wrong with me?"

"W-what? Does it hurt anywhere?! Are you alright? Can you breathe well?!"

"Am I not likeable? Would you compare me to a cow? Am I being a bad friend?"

"No! Of course not! You're a great friend, Rima! You're my best friend! W-why are you suddenly sputtering nonsense?"

Instinctively, I pulled on Amu's loose shirt before burying my face into her chest.

"H-he left …" I sobbed. I felt Amu's muscles freeze, but all I could do was continue bawling into her shirt.

Kirishima-kun was looking down, biting his lip as he fidgeted with his fingers.

"We're safe! But we won't see him ever again…"

The first ray of sunlight blared through the window. Light ate away the darkness and heaviness left by the blizzard as a dash of blue painted itself across the sky. However, I couldn't enjoy the sun- none of us can.

Because despite the cheerful chirping of the birds, all that I –and everyone in the room- heard were my helpless sobs.

I know why my eyes can't fully open. They're sore. I've been crying.

And I've been crying because last night…

I realized that Nagihiko didn't love me…

* * *

**H-howdy?**

**I just realized that I'm not really sure whether Kirishima's first name is Fuyuki or Kirishima. They always call him either Fuyuki Kirishima or Kirishima Fuyuki but then you know how they say surnames first in Japan. Sigh... **

**Anyway, I'm sorry for stalling the moment from the blizzard! I couldn't think of ways to move on to the next events yet maintain the mood! I also want more time to actually organize the plot. The next chapter will be stalling more- just a little warning!**

**And I wonder what happened to Kirishima when he came up to the snow. Whad _did_ he see?**

**Secial thanks to: **

**cookiequeen**

**KawaiixKawaii**

**Secret**

**SandraStar66**

**coolnessfighter**

**PandaPuppet**

**Kaoru; and**

**Certified Chocoholic**


	28. Last night

**Chapter 28  
**

**Last Night**

_"Fuyuki Kirishima-kun! That's a really cute name! Mind if we be friends?"_

Those words keep echoing in Kirishima's mind. After all, those were the first words of kindness uttered to him by someone his own age. Those were the words that changed him.

Back then when he was six years-old, no one spoke to him. He was the short, flabby little kid who had the guts to try out for the basketball team when he couldn't even run without tripping on his own feet.

He was the laughing stock in the school. He didn't have the guts to speak with anyone. He had no friend...

But then _she_…she was _always _surrounded by people. She was the kind-hearted, peppy and innocent type of girl which everyone would like to flock to.

She was the epitome of beautiful.

She was completely out of his league, yet she was the only one who had the guts to be his friend.

"_Hey, Rima-chan. Why do you even hang out with him? He's gross!" _One girl had told her. _She_ was sitting right next to Kirishima. The boy heard it all, and he felt his heart drop. He thought that 'this was it'. She was going to leave him. He knew that it was coming and here it was. He was never fit to be with someone so beautiful.

To his surprise, however, she managed to stand up and glare daggers at the girl who insulted him.

"_Kirishima-kun is really funny, sweet and smart! He's not gross! I like him!"_

He managed a smile. He's never seen anyone stand up for him like that. And when the girl was gone, Rima turned to him, her cheeks puffed.

"_Mo, Kirishima-kun! Why didn't you speak up? Don't let yourself get bullied all the time!"_

"_But then I might get-"_

Rima grabbed him by the shoulder then pulled him towards her. They were so close, her pink, pulpy lips merely a few centimeters away from his. Then she spoke, her voice soft yet sure, "_There is no one in this world who can call you gross or stupid or ugly but yourself. So unless you really are gross, stupid or ugly- which you and I know you aren't - then you must never let them call you that!"_

Ever since then, he promised himself that he'd do whatever it takes to protect this girl.

However…if it's mother nature that he's up against…if it's mother nature who threatens the life of the little blonde then…he wouldn't know how to start.

Ten years later, specifically last night, he experienced the worst four hours of his life.

It started out with the morning news. The biggest blizzard in fifty years was coming- sure. And it came early- sure! He was completely fine with that. _He was safe_- drinking a mug of hot chocolate while cozily snuggled in his soft blanket.

However, that same night, he didn't expect to see two figures walking towards his house when he 'just so happened' to look out the window.

It wouldn't take a genius to figure out that those two figures were people- horrified and _freezing _people. He quickly jumped away from the comfort of his couch then held the door _wide_ open for the two.

"WAAAH! Thanks so much!" The pinkette cried as she let herself in. A brunette, who had her hair up in twin-tails followed suit. They couldn't really say anything afterwards. They were far too cold.

'_Wow'_ Kirishima thought. _'These two are really pretty…'_

He offered them a mug of hot chocolate (his mother made a _lot_ more after realizing that they had visitors) before inviting them to sit on the couch in the living room. They drank in silence until the pinkette's eyes went wide. Suddenly, she was up and frantically looking around.

"Was there someone else with us when we came in?"

"No…" Kirishima said.

The two paled.

"Rima's still out there!"

'_Rima?'_ In an instant, Kirishima was scurrying his way towards the frantic two.

The pinkette- the taller one of the two- was setting up her boots again, while the brunette was adjusting her coat.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"We're going to find Rima!" the pinkette yelped, eagerly placing her mittens on.

"It's dangerous!"

"We'll do better than Rima-tan. She's really small! Maybe we can save her!" The brunette looked hectic. Judging from her appearance, she didn't look like the type to be like this. She didn't look like the type to scream at you.

But Kirishima can't help but completely understand her. When this Rima girl was mentioned, and when they said that she was small, Kirishima felt his heart drop. He felt a wave of panic pass. However, somewhere behind his brain there was a spark of hope. Maybe this Rima isn't the Rima he's in-love with.

He was too buried in his thoughts to stop the two. But the blizzard wasn't. The second that they opened the door, a huge chunk of snow fell at them. This was an eye-opener. This made them realize just how dangerous it was to get out.

They fell to the floor, gasping.

"Why do stuff like these keep happening to us nowadays…" The pinkette muttered.

The smaller girl looked down then yelped, running her fingers through her hair, "I don't know! But I hope that she's OK!"

"Hey…" Kirishima whispered, "Does this Rima happen to have the surname…Mashiro?"

Slowly, the two girls looked up then locked eyes with him.

"Yes…"

"Do you know Rima-tan…?"

The spark of hope was immediately eliminated. Kirishima felt himself go limp as the situation started to settle in.

His cute, tiny, helpless little Rima was out there, going against this dreadful storm. He couldn't imagine how she could live through this. He couldn't imagine how her tiny legs could hike through this snow.

'_Someone…please save her…_'

But then the chance of her colliding with someone whole and healthy enough to help her was one in a million. His fist was immediately on the wall.

"Why is she out there? Why is she putting herself in danger?"

The girls were silent. They looked down at their boots, also trying to let the situation settle.

That's when the mother came in. Noticing the drastic mood, she asked what was going on. When no one replied, she sighed then urged the two girls to take a hot bath and change into dry clothes.

Kirishima dragged himself toward the window then…outright stared right into it.

The snow was starting to grow thick. To Rima, it was probably up to her waist…

Then Kirishima sighed, hating himself for not being able to do anything. The anxiety droned on for what seemed like hours. Within the hours, he already contacted the police (there was no signal), mentally berated with himself, punched a wall, broke a fist in the process, and continued hating himself.

Time was droning. He didn't like being warm or comfortable. He didn't want to be at the comfort of his own home. The one place he wanted to be at was by Rima's side, keeping her warm. Even if he died in the process, at least she would live. He wouldn't have to go through the agony of seeing her die. He wouldn't have to do the impossible task of finding a new girl to love.

The only girl he wants to spend the rest of his life with is Rima, and now he wasn't even sure if she was still alive.

What was he going to-

_WHAT IS THAT?!_

"So did you see anything, Kirishima-kun?" the pinkette asked, coming down the stair. She was clad in a green, woolen sweater and black Capri pants. The brunette came down behind her. She no longer kept her hair up. They were down now, sliding past the much-too-large yellow shirt that she wore.

"Did you see Rima-tan?" she asked, eagerly.

Kirishima could only open and close his mouth. No words could really form.

He shook his head, rubbed his eyes and continued to stare at the two shadows standing not too far from his house.

He wasn't really sure if the shadows were a figment of his imagination or if they were real. If they were real, he couldn't even tell if they were people. The winds would sometimes cross the two, obscuring them from sight. But then the winds would die, and then he'd see them again.

He stood up, hope starting to build within his chest.

He continued to stare at the two figures. They were standing in front of each other. Were they trees?

At the thought, Kirishima's heart sank. But then a wind once again crossed the two. He couldn't see them for awhile, but when it cleared out, the smaller figure was down.

Another wind obscured them from sight. And at that instant, Kirishima was up and bolting his way out.

"Hey! Wa-" but the pinkette never got to finish her sentence because Kirishima left the house. She glanced out the window, along with the smaller girl then cocked her head to the side.

"What did he see?"

Kirishima couldn't really see where he was going. And despite the freezing temperature, he couldn't really feel anything. His adrenaline was pumping, and he was eager to see what those two figures were.

He just kept on trudging and trudging- not thinking about the consequences.

Finally, he collided into something soft…fabric…

The wind died down once again, and he saw something- someone that he never thought he'd see in this freezing night. And in 'her' arms lay the girl that he was really eager to see.

"MASHIRO-SAN!" he yelped, lifting his hands to touch the unconscious girl. Then, the person carrying her spoke, shocking Kirishima.

"Hurry up and bring her somewhere warm. She needs to rest…"

The voice of the person is…different.

"Nadeshiko-san?" Kirishima said, looking at the indigo-head in the eye. "You look and sound…different…"

'She' just smirked before handing Rima to him.

"I am different. I'm not Nadeshiko. I'm Nagihiko …"

That's when Kirishima finally felt the numbing coldness of the weather. His spine tingled as he stared at what turned out to be a boy as he held Rima into a much tighter embrace.

Kirishima didn't know how he looked at the moment; probably lame. But then Nadeshiko _did_ claim that her brother was dead. He didn't expect himself to encounter a ghost! He didn't know how not to look like a frightened little rabbit!

"Fuyuki-kun…" Nagihiko whispered, looking the other boy in the eye. Kirishima felt his muscles freeze because the smile that Nagihiko wore was ominous and spoke of a certain doom.

"Take care of Rima-chan. If you hurt her in any way…you will be answering to me"

* * *

**Urgh... I'm sorry if I've been inactive for so long. You see, I ate a lot of raw salmon some tralala days ago and I got this really bad case of food poisoning. Apparently, I could only use the laptop now without blacking out. And since I'm absent for today, I thought that I'd use my time wisely by updating fanfic because...you know...I don't feel like studying at the moment!**

**Special thanks to: **

**cookiequeen13**

**COOLBoi**

**Secret**

**coolnessfighter**

**Guest**

**Guest**

**SandraStar66**

**Kaoru**

**Guest; and**

**Certified Chocoholic**


	29. At the balcony

**Chapter 29**

After leaving Kirishima-kun's house (the snowing has stopped), I asked Amu if I can sleep over at her house. We decided to tag Yaya along. And so, after a mountain of paperwork, my parents _finally_ allowed me to go.

"Oh guys! Let's pass by that store so we can eat something sweet for tonight!" Yaya squealed, pointing at a candy counter by the sidewalk. I rolled my eyes when I saw Amu's eyes gleam. "Great idea!"

"That is most definitely _not _a great idea!" I remarked, causing Yaya's face to scrunch up.

"How can that be, Rima-tan?" she cried.

I sent the two a knowing stare before crossing my arms. "Do you remember the last time Yaya had a sugar rush?" I said referring to this _other _time we got kicked out of a store because of Yaya:

It was a normal Sunday afternoon- my friends and I were primly looking through the bookshelves inside this library when Yaya decided that she was bored and 'discreetly' plopped a candy into her mouth. Needless to say, she enjoyed it. And a few minutes later she was stuffing her face with the sugary sweetness while bouncing and screaming her head off. People were staring at her, but all five of us pretended that we didn't know her. We were minding our own business- desperately skimming through some random books we found in the adult section as an attempt to keep people from realizing that we were "the-hyper-active-drooling-little-monster's" '_acquaintances'_ – when said monster bumped into a shelf, making it tip over and all-in-all causing a domino effect. When the last shelf fell, it slammed against the glass, tipped over a ledge and fell into the daycare center where an unlucky child's baby doll was crushed by this thick philosophy book.

"_N-Nagi!" _Yaya had cried as she reached for the sleeves of _his_ shirt (He was unluckily the one closest to her at the time). _"W-what do I do? They're giving me really scary faces…"_

"_U-umm…"_

"_Excuse me, young man!"_ the manager scowled. He was a very tall man in his late fifties wearing a business suit and glossy leather shoes. His expression had made it clear that he was no man to mess around with, and at that time, I felt the pit f my stomach freeze. _"Are you her brother?"_

"_N-no, I'm…"_

"_Her fiancé" _I remember blurting out. Everyone I knew there turned to me, they're eyes screaming, "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!", but I knew then what I was doing.

"_Please forgive my sister. She's just so happy. You see…" _I sobbed, allowing the tears to flow freely from my eyes as I worked on earning the man's sympathy, _"three years ago, just before their wedding, Nagihi- this boy was diagnosed with a deadly disease called ichthyphobia…"_

"_Wedding?" _Yaya gasped.

"_I-i-ich WHAT?" _this one was close to fainting.

"_That's fear of fish, Rima-chan."_ this one, I shot a deadly look.

"_Anyway, he survived the disease. But to do this he had t go abroad. And Ya-she couldn't follow. So you see, they were in a long-distance relationship for the longest time and right now, this is their heartwarming reunion so please don't ruin it!"_

There was silence- the manager was looking at the two, his eyes soft and teary. Then Yaya said, _"But Nagi and I aren't even a couple!"_

And so we were kicked out and up to this day, aren't allowed to set foot on that library. It's a shame, really.

"Oh! I remember that!" Amu said, hugging her stomach so that she wouldn't _die_ from laughing so hard. "Nagihiko was so scared of you, Yaya when you started acting like his girlfriend after that!"

"There was no point in trying to look like a couple…" I said, and somewhere at the back of my head I had the vaguest suspicion that the way I said that dropped our light atmosphere. "It's not like the manager would be following us around to see if you were actually together. You said it. Everything I put up for that man snapped the moment you spoke. You can't take back your words…"

Amu and Yaya were no longer holding back laughs. They were silent now as they stared at me, their mouths hanging agape.

"L-let's get Yaya her candy, Rima" Amu said, glancing at me.

"Sure!" I replied, smiling.

Because at that moment, all I could ever do was twitch my lips upwards- a smile, as they call it. It's a fancy name for a gesture that's so easy to do.

"Yeah, lets!" Yaya gleamed. I'm not sure if it was just me but for a moment, her ginger eyes seemed to glint with something that is so devious that…only she could come up with.

Suddenly, a strange feeling came over me. It was like a soft little voice saying,

"AMU AND YAYA HAVE THIS MASTER-PLAN AND YOU ARE GOING TO BE THEIR GUINEA PIG SO UNLESS YOU FREAKIN' DITCH THAT SLEEPVER THEN YOU ARE GOING TO BE OVERSTUFFED WITH SWEETS TONIGHT, IDIOT!"

x x x

Amu's room was not punk. It was also not Goth like a lot of people would expect it to be. Instead, it was my definition of the perfect bedroom: big, frilly and smelling of strawberries.

"What are you looking for, Yaya?" I heard Amu ask as she slumped herself into a beanbag.

"Photos of Tadase-kun! I'm sure that you have a lot of those here! I can use it to earn lots!"

"I-I-I DON'T HAVE ANY!" Amu cried, fully up, before skidding her way towards a head-high wardrobe. She spread her arms around it protectively before adding, "I DON'T KEEP PICTURES OF TADASE-KUN ANYWHERE SO YOU WON'T FIND ANY IN HERE!"

I was about to join in when a book in Amu's bookshelf caught my eye. It wasn't really flashy or anything. It wasn't even thick. It stood there, squished between two other cheesy-looking books. Amu wouldn't read something like that so, curious, I grabbed it. And there it was, in its old, dusty, worn glory.

I was about the ask Amu about it but when I turned to her, she was battling to the death with Yaya as an attempt to keep the wardrobe containing Hotori-kun's pictures safe.

I sighed, opened the first page and rolled my eyes. Clipped to the first page of the book was a photo of Hotori-kun when he was probably around nine years old. But then something was off. Beside him was a girl that was of similar age. She was pretty. She has big, green eyes and thick dark locks that framed her small face. Her smile was small- kind of awkward, as if she was nervous sitting close to Hotori-kun.

Who was this girl? And why does Amu have this?

"Yaya, I found a photo album here" I stated. Ever so slowly, Yaya's head turned to me. She grinned. Then, to my horror, she literally leaped towards me.

"Lemme see! Lemme see!"

I was about to unclip it from the page but a hand grabbed it from me before I could do so.

"Tadase-kun personally gave that to me"

That piqued my interest.

"Really? Why?"

Amu shrugged before slamming down next to me. "I'm not sure about the details but he did say that she also knows something about Nagihiko's situation. He said that she's one of the Tsukiyomi's that we can trust so if we find her then…we probably won't end up in the morgue"

"And Hotori-kun knows her?!" I yelled. Slowly, Amu nodded. "Didn't you ask him for details?"

"I did. But he says that he doesn't know much…"

I looked down at my toes, remembering that I'm free from all this worry. He's gone now; I no longer need to worry about him…

"However, I do know that she's called… Miku…"

"Miku's a cute name" Yaya whispered.

"Yeah" Amu agreed. "I just wish that I knew more about her"

"Yep! Maybe that way, we can help Nagi!"

I felt myself flinch. Slowly, guilt ate me up. I never got to tell them. Yesterday in Kirishima's, all I ever got to accomplish was convince Amu and Yaya that nothing was wrong; that I was merely crying because I remembered the scary feeling of being all alone in that storm.

And when they spoke of Nagihiko?

I lied.

I said that he called, claiming that he made his way back to my room. They believed me because they trusted me. And I fear what would become of that trust if they ever find out that he's not in Japan anymore; if they find out that I've been lying to them, I might lose them too. But then, wouldn't they be madder the later they find out?

"Yes…" I want to prolong our friendship. I love these two a lot. I lost enough two nights ago. "I bet that it would help him a lot"

"Big sis!" Ami, Amu's little sister, called from downstairs. "Dinner's ready!"

"Coming!"

One of the things I love about coming over to Amu's house is being able to experience a family that dines together. It was chaotic, yes. And her parents constantly talked about embarrassing stuff, yes. But that only made things seem brighter and more natural. It made it clear as day that they were very open to each other - no dark secrets, no cussing, no planning for a divorce, no tenseness.

"I found big sis holding a picture of a _boy_ in her room!"

"B-B-B-BOOOOOOOOOOOOY?! AMU-CHAN IS THIS TRUE?!" her papa, a man in his early forties, yelped as he crushed his temples with his palms.

Amu gave me and Yaya a look. "I'm sorry you guys have to see this. Are you really sure that you don't want to just bring the food up? My mom allows it during sleepovers or whenever I have guests"

She always tells me this whenever I dine with her family.

"I'm fine" Yaya shrugged as she popped another potato into her mouth. Amu turned to me, already knowing what my answer would be.

"I like it here"

After my parents became enemies, I have never eaten with anyone else at home. Whenever it was dinnertime, I would always sit there in the large, dark room, between two dusty dining chairs.

The dining room that was once so full of life is gone.

And I suck it in with deep breaths whenever I'm there, trying to forget about what it used to be. But then Nagihiko came to my house. And on weekdays when my parents are practically never home, we would turn on all the lights and fill the room with laughter and arguing (more often the second part). For some odd reason, he's so eager to teach me how to make onigiri. I'd try to make one, but then the finished product is always either too soft or too hard.

He'd stare at me, saying, "Did you mean to give me diarrhea or something?"

And I'd roll my eyes and say, "Bite it and you'll find out". Nagihiko would smile, shrug, and, to my surprise, take a bite. Then I would stare at him, my eyes bugging out. "Idiot! I was only joking! The kinds of food that I make aren't edible!"

"They are edible, Rima-chan" He'd say in between the crunching sounds the rice ball would make as he chewed. "It's just not delicious at all!"

"Well I'm sorry I'm not as feminine as you"

He'd flinch, and I'd smirk.

Then he'd grab the rice cooker, a tint of pink making its way to his face as he'd say, "I'll just make something from the scraps, and that's what we're having for dinner"

I remember staring at his back as he cooked, a smile spread across my face. But back then, I didn't bother to wipe it off because he couldn't see. I was given the opportunity to just stare at him work, and I was taking it.

x x x

When we went back to Amu's room, it was already dark. The three of us set up the beddings on the floor and did the usual routine before bed. Then, Amu offered to prepare some popcorn while Yaya and I set up the dvd player so that we can watch this movie entitled, _'A Love Story'_ (I silently curse at the title). Yaya and Amu have been watching _'Makako Love Story'_ for only about seven times a day. Then they stopped, and just when I thought that it was finally over, turns out, they had another movie in Amu's house.

By the time Amu came up, Yaya and I were snuggled beneath some blankets; the movie was ready to play. Amu joined in, and a few minutes later, I was sleeping while the two were crying over the sappy little thing.

An hour later, something broke me off my slumber- it hit me on the head, causing me to tip over. I growled, looked down and cursed the pillow that had been hurled at me; then that angry feeling immediately turned to one of fear when I saw my two so-called 'friends' hovering over me - their faces dark.

"Now for the main event…" Yaya whispered under her breath.

I knew that I should've listened to the soft little voice from this morning...

"Rima, we're not going to do anything to you unless you don't talk" Amu said as she blocked the door with a beanbag. Oh, and a flower vase. You know…for extra weight?

"About what?"

"What happened in the blizzard?"

The question caught me off-guard. I looked down, trying to recall what happened.

"I-I told you, I don't know…"

"Don't lie to me, Rima…" Amu whispered, staring me straight in the eye. "Obviously, something happened. Ever since you came back, you've been acting so gloomy. And Kirishima-kun…I may not know him well yet, but he freaks out whenever we ask about what happened"

"Amu, I passed out. I don't know what Kirishima-kun saw"

"Then ask him. Maybe he'll tell you"

"But before that, Rima-tan!" Yaya said, her voice muffled by the candies in her mouth. "Tell us what happened _before _you passed-out"

"How could I?" was my immediate reply. Amu and Yaya exchanged looks before giving me a confused stare. "How could I tell you guys when it still hasn't settled in my mind?"

_CLANK!_

That was the sound of something hitting Amu's balcony window. All three of us stopped talking then glanced at it. There, scattered all over the balcony's floor were pebbles. We stared a little longer just in time to see another pebble tap the glass.

_CLANK!_

Slowly, Amu, Yaya and I went out to the balcony, looked down, and gasped because there, on the bottom, holding a handful of pebbles was a teary-eyed Utau.

* * *

**AHHH! Summer is finally coming! God, this last few months were incredibly hectic. I'm getting sick all the time because of all this stress.**

*Sigh*  


**Well, you came here for the story, and not for my rants. And I would just like to THANK YOU ALL SO SO SO SO MUCH because you guys are one of the reasons that I actually write. And writing is a fine break from all of that academic shiz. I was also a bit dejected some days ago, so to cheer up, I read your reviews.**

**Every. Single. One of it.**

So thanks so much for making me smile, and I hope that this chapter was okay! (It's completely straying away from the plot that I want but...GAH!)  



	30. When she realizes

**Chapter 30**

x two days ago x

"Fujisaki Nagihiko, right?"

Nagihiko just stood there, frozen, as he continued to stare at the strange little boy giving him an eerily strange look. He was blonde and small- probably around eight years old. However, you can see it in those dull eyes that he lacked the typical childish wonder. His eyes were like voids- empty and intimidating.

"Ahahaha!" the dark-haired teen chuckled, anxiously flinging his arm behind his head. "What are you saying, bozu?"

"Your name is Fujisaki Nagihiko, am I right?" the little boy said, tilting his head to the side. Nagihiko bit his lip, not knowing at all what to do with the weird kid. He wanted to ask how he knew about his name, but then that would mean admitting that he was, indeed, Fujisaki Nagihiko. He knew all too well how dangerous his situation was. He was arguing about it with 'her' just a few minutes ago- right before he left her house to get some fresh air. He wouldn't let his guard down, even around a creepy little kid.

"No, it's not…"

"But…" the kid mumbled, "if you remove that scarf covering most of your face, and that cap hiding your hair, I would say that, without a doubt that you look just like Fujisaki Nagihiko"

"Who is Nagihiko?" he said, sitting down so that he was eye-level with the kid who didn't really appreciate the gesture.

"Just another human adding up to the country's population"

Nagihiko felt his smile twitch. "Well, I'm not him, okay?"

The bare trees and the swings all over the park started to sway along the wind. Nagihiko then noticed the sudden drop in temperature. He was about to stand up when the little boy grabbed his coat. "I just wanted to tell you something…"

"Nnn?"

"You're lucky that only amateurs were asked to assassinate you. However, you didn't take care of that luck very well…"

Nagihiko felt his eyes grow wide. In the midst of his shock, he didn't notice a group of men appearing from behind the trees, intent on capturing him. However, when he did manage to snap out of his trance, he bolted, fully aware of the bullets being fired at him. Then, the blizzard came. Due to some sort of miracle, he got away unscathed. He knew he'd lost them but he also knew that they wouldn't give up so easily. This was confirmed when he heard a distant yell:

"If you don't surrender yourself by tonight, your mother and friends will definitely get involved!"

x present x

"YOU'VE GOT TO HELP ME! OMIGOD! YOU HAVE TO! YOU'VE GOT TO! PLEASE! OR I WILL PERSONALLY HUNT YOU DOWN AND KILL YOU AND FEED YOUR BODIES TO THE ANTS!"

That was the soothing voice of Utau, who was now shaking Amu like she was some sort of rattle. As she did this, Yaya and I just stood there, perplexed.

When we saw Utau from the balcony a few minutes ago, we went down to the porch to invite her in. However, we found ourselves spending our time outside because the moment that Amu was an arm's length from the twin-tailed pop star, she immediately fell victim to said pop star's clutch.

"H-h-h-help you with what?!"

"Ikuto! They got Ikuto! I want to save him! He's my only family!"

Amu was silent for a while. She was giving Utau a strange look before saying, "We're sorry, Utau. We really don't know how we could help…"

Utau just looked at Amu, the tears running down her cheeks before she loosened her grip on her shirt and looked down, her bangs obscuring her eyes. She was no longer speaking nor was she brimming with her typical competitive and assertive personality. Her shoulders just shook there as she sobbed.

"Utau…" Amu whispered. "What are they going to do to Ikuto?" she asked, a tinge of worry finding its way to her voice.

"I don't know…" she replied, covering her face with both hands. "I don't even want to think about it…"

"We'll try our best to help you out if we could, Utau-chi" Yaya said, patting her lightly on the back.

"But we don't even know why they took him in the first place" I mumbled. Slowly, Utau's head perked up. She turned to me.

"H-hey. Where's Fujisaki?"

I felt a lump build up in my chest. I hoped that I wouldn't flinch, but it was an impossible task.

"N-Nagihiko…he's…"

"He's in Rima-tan's room! Ne, Rima-tan?!" Yaya said

I paused, and in the silence, I could hear Amu and Yaya sucking up their breaths.

"He's not" I whispered, glancing at Amu and instantly feeling my heart sink. She was giving me a disbelieving look. "He told me that he left the country to marry his childhood friend"

There was another moment of silence before Amu spoke: "You didn't tell me that, Rima…"

"There's the reason!" Utau yelled. "He must've surrendered himself to the family or something! That must be why they caught Ikuto! They know that we didn't do our job well!"

"No!" I retorted. "Nagihiko is fine! He left for selfish reasons!"

Utau raised her brows, her attention fully on me. "Is he really that kind of person?"

Now it was my turn to suck up my breath.

"No…but…"

"I don't see him often, but even then I doubt that he would leave you guys just like that. Tell me, kid. He said worse, didn't he?"

I looked at everyone's faces- Amu…Yaya…Utau...All of them were eagerly waiting for my answer.

"He did. He…" I stopped for a moment, sucked in a deep breath then looked at the ground, suddenly finding my toes very interesting. "He just…sounded like we didn't matter to him. And besides, he looked genuinely happy when he spoke of his fiancé"

"How could Nagihiko be so happy? He's never spoken of this fiancé before! And besides, he's still a fugitive among the Tsukiyomi family" Amu spoke

"He won't be anymore…" I mumbled. "The family can easily tamper with the documents"

"Well then, he could only be in two places right now" Utau scoffed, crossing her arms. "He's either there, frolicking around with that chic or deteriorating in a cell somewhere with Miku"

Miku…

Miku…

The name was familiar. Where had I heard it again?

Suddenly, I felt my mouth drop.

"AHHHH!" Amu and I screamed in unison.

"You know Miku?" Amu gasped. Utau blinked a few times, surprised by our reaction.

"Yes, I do. She was my playmate who was seriously in-love with Tadase".

I instinctively glanced at Amu. She was melting by the pavement. And judging from her expression, I could already hear her inner voice crying, "WHAAAAAAAAAAA?!"

Among the gazillion things running through my mind, I decided to say, "Wait! You knew Hotori-kun before? What happened between you guys?"

For a moment, Utau's violet orbs flicked with nostalgia. Then she turned to us, her expression sullen. I could see it in her face that she was scrutinizing us- mentally berating with herself whether or not we could be trusted with whatever past they share. Finally, she said, "Ikuto, Miku, Tadase and I were childhood friends because our families were very close. However, that changed when our father died…" She instinctively looked at the sky, a sad smile playing across her lips. "His death was followed by a series of unfortunate events including Miku's assassination"

Nothing followed her statement- nothing but a long line of silence. I could tell that that was all we could get from her. However, Amu thought otherwise.

"Wait wait wait" she gapsed. "Miku is…dead?"

"There's a high percentage that she is. She possessed the curse just like my dad so I'm assuming that they also killed her"

I felt my muscles freeze at the mention of the curse. Suddenly, something inside me stirred. I remembered the small hints that Nadeshiko had dropped for me- the hints regarding the curse.

"What is the curse?" I asked. Utau looked skeptical. She stared at the three of us then sighed.

"If I tell you, you'll help me save Ikuto?"

"Of course!" Amu bellowed.

Then, for some odd reason, Utau locked her eyes with mine. A smirk found its way to her face before she said, her voice dripping with a twinge of playfulness:

"A cursed person, such as Fujisaki, will turn into a boy or a girl when kissed by someone of the opposite gender

* * *

**Next chapter: Miku!**

Waaahashjkl I will work hard to keep her from becoming a Mary Sue! But I need to add her in, k? 'Cause...y'know...I wouldn't like to ruin the image of original characters such as Lulu and Yua by turning them into **psychotic creeps and- AHHH! I JUST SPOILED YOU GUYS WITH MIKU'S PERSONALITY!****  
I'm sorry. Brain cells aren't really working very well. And...this is the chapter where Rima finally hears about the curse. I wanted to add more details and make it look like a Stephen King novel so...I don't know how it turned into a weird, un-detailed little thing.  
**


	31. About to get interesting

**Chapter 31**

"_A cursed person, such as Fujisaki, will turn into a boy or a girl when kissed by someone of the opposite gender"_

At first, my mind went blank as Utau's words processed. Then my brain wavered back to all of those basic principles of biology where I'm pretty sure that unless you're living in a fantasized world, there's no way that a human being could possibly transform into their opposite gender after simply being kissed.

A few seconds passed and I felt something hit my brain.

It's possible! Nagihiko is definitely a weird boy. He's always doing stuff that I hardly expect. Who knows? He could _really_ be changing into a girl behind my back. That's really…interesting!

But then the logic came smacking me upside the head and I felt my chest turn cold when I remembered her- the _female_ person whom I have come to trust and love. Suddenly, my brain began to get all fuzzy as _certain_ memories started filling it up.

"_I don't hate him. I like him" "When he wants something, he's so cute and very cool and determined and all. That Nagihiko…I __really __like him!" "Yes, I kissed him; but only on the cheek…"_

I grasped my cheeks- they were hot. Then, I panicked for a moment that my head might seriously explode. At that moment, I was being surrounded by emotions so many that it was so difficult to point out how I felt. I remembered what "she" said. She told me that she loved me back then when we were in the ambulance.

So why did "he" tell me otherwise?

What do "they" want to accomplish? If the goal was to confuse me, then it was working. I'm befuddled.

"What? Utau-chi, is that for real?!"

"Of course it's true. I've seen it myself when I kissed him" there was an awkward silence as I heard Amu and Yaya suck up their breaths. Then, even without looking, I could tell that Utau was panic-stricken as she added, "What are you looking at me like that for? The situation we were in back then demanded for it!"

They continued talking among themselves, with Utau constantly trying to tell the two how desperate the situation was. But at that point, I didn't really understand what they saying because a very simple yet cringe-worthy reality dawned upon me.

Nadeshiko, she…saw me naked- several times. She also wore my underwear. She…she…

_She's Nagihiko…_

"Ah! Rima! Are you okay?!" someone said. I heard footsteps making its way towards me. Suddenly, everything began to look dotted. The blood started gushing off my head and I felt the entire world spin around me. That's when I realized it.

"Hey" I mumbled. "You guys might want to catch me. I feel like I'm going to pass out…"

And with that, everything turned black.

x x x

When I woke up, I was in a brightly-colored room, feeling very cool. My head was on a pillow, and I felt lightheaded despite the dumbbell which was my head.

I also felt…drained; emotionally and physically drained. I could hear distant voices murmuring about something I couldn't understand. I strained my ears to listen to the voices? What were they talking about?

As I sat up, I felt something cool smack against my lap. It was a damp towel which was apparently placed on my forehead. I then took note of the bedcovers and of the comforter- pink and checkered.

I was in Amu's bed. I was in her room.

"No!" I heard a yell, followed by the sound of another voice shush the other hurriedly. "N-Nagi wouldn't do that!"

That was followed by more murmurs, lulling me to go back to sleep. But I wanted to know what they were talking about- each and every single detail. Why the serious atmosphere? Why are they whispering?

"We don't really know exactly what happened. This was all according to the chibi…"

C-chibi?

I could vaguely remember a twinge of prissiness pass by me as Utau's new nickname managed to get to me. How long has it been again since I last got addressed based on my height?

"Rima?" a soft, gentle voice called out. I heard shuffling noises as the person stood up. The thumps of her feet padded against the wooden floor as she went to my bed and sat there, her hair swishing forward as she turned to give me a smile.

"Amu"

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm…" suddenly, it all came back to me. "He's-" Amu's lips quirked up a little bit as she gave me comforting pats on the back. "_Her!_ "

"Calm down, Rima. It came as a shock to all of us…" she assured me before pulling me into a quick hug. I was able to have a glimpse of the owners of the voices when she did this. Yaya, Kukai, Kairi, Kirishima…basically the whole gang was there. Then I wondered if what Yaya cried about when I first woke up (about "Nagi" not doing _that_) was about him leaving all of us in order to live with his fiancé. "If you're feeling up to it, tell us what happened between you two, okay?"

All of a sudden, I recalled what happened between us that night. Tears suddenly overflowed. Before my vision became blurred by the tears, I saw a shocked expression cross by everyone's faces. Once again, I was feeling Amu's warm embrace. I dug my face into her neck as I nodded.

_Well_. I thought in the midst of all that was going through my mind. _There goes every last bit of my façade._

"Shh" she reassured me. The last time that I was doing this with Amu, I was nine. I was crying because I had tripped over Nagihiko's leg. I was crying over what he did. Who would've thought that seven years later, the entire scenario would repeat itself. "If it's about that fiancé, don't worry about it. He doesn't have one. We did our research while you were sleeping. You won't believe this, but Nagihiko before he met us was a completely clueless kid. He wouldn't even look at girls. He didn't have a fiancé. The reason that he left is still being investigated. By us…"

I tightened my grip on her pajamas. "Why are you telling me this?"

Amu made a teasing, extremely cringe-worthy little laugh. "Oh you'd know why, Rima" she said.

I huff a breath, once again tightening my grip on her pajamas. "I-" my face started heating up. "I- I like Nagihiko…"

And from beside me, I heard something crash to the floor. _No! _I thought in the midst f the shock. _Not the lamp!_

Amu and I turned our heads to the figure that just stood there, gazing at me but not really seeing me anymore.

I sucked in a mouthful of air. "Kirishima-kun…"

x x x

It was really late. I was tilting my head towards the window, watching the gibbous moon disappear behind a thick layer of clouds. No stars. Yet despite the darkness, the lights in Amu's room were now fully lit. It's been around ten minutes since I've woken up and now I was ready to join in on the conversation, or rather, _argument_ that was taking place.

"You should know where Tsukiyomi-kun is being kept…" Hotori-kun had stated after hearing Utau's request. She just squint her eyes at him, lilac eyes flaming with determination.

"If I knew, would I be asking for your help?"

Hotori-kun looked at the floor, clenching his fists to keep the emotions from taking over. He was never like this- not until he saw Utau and Ikuto. What happened between them? What could the siblings have done to make someone as patient as Hotori-kun this angry?

"Don't you remember what you did years ago? Or perhaps…I should remind you…" he said, a dark shadow looming over his features at the last part. Utau fell silent. It was her turn to look down. Hotori-kun sighed, closed his eyes and shook his head. I could tell that he wasn't really going to spill it. But I wanted to know.

"Years ago…" Utau whispered. Hotori-kun glanced at her, looking surprised. He didn't expect her to talk about it before us. "Ikuto and I knew what we were doing. But we were kids, and we were convinces that betraying you was the right thing to do. Afterall, that's what we've been taught since we were born. I didn't know that our actions would cause so much trouble. Not until the family turned their back on us and did the same thing they did to your father to ours…"

Hotori-kun's eyes widened.

"When we realized what we have done, we wanted to find you. I…wanted to apologize all these years but we didn't know where you were. But when we saw you again, you already had a lot of friends. You were happy, and we decided that reminding you of the past will just ruin your steady life. We decided to just accept our fate. But then we realized that Fujisaki-kun, the boy that they wanted to assassinate, was one of your friends. That's why we wanted to save him. We needed to seriously injure him, though, so that the watchdogs will be satisfied with our work and leave…"

"But why do they want to assassinate Fujisaki? I mean, so what if he turns into a girl? It ain't their business!" Soma-kun said, running his fingers through his mop of brown hair. The guilt in Utau's eyes disappeared the moment that she heard Soma-kun's voice. She turned to him, looking at him like he was just some random kid who popped out of nowhere, asking: "HEY, NEE-CHAN! WHY DO YOU LOOK LIKE A GORILLA?"

"I wouldn't know! They don't tell us anything!"

"That's a harsh family…" Amu whispered. She's lucky that her family is whole and happy. Broken families are new to her. But still, even if I've lived with a broken family for several years, upon hearing Utau's story, I couldn't help but feel blessed. Utau had Ikuto. One person. I wouldn't know what to do with my life if that one person was taken away from me. I have friends- lots of them. I also have my parents. Although we don't speak to each other much anymore, they're still there, living under the same roof as me.

There's no point in hating them for the rest of my life. When I think about it, they feed me. They allowed me to walk to school with my friends. They work their butts off to send me to school.

When I open my refrigerator, I always see boxes of pocky. They know I love those coated sticks.

If they're going to leave for work for a long period of time, they provide me with food which can last for a long time so that I don't go hungry.

They're…_they're still there_.

"Well…technically, we're not a family anymore…" I heard Utau mutter under her breath. The way she said it wasn't really bitter. When she said it, it sounded rather empty. It's as if she'd already poured out all of her sorrows and distress in one night so no feelings towards that topic was left behind; as if the topic itself was now just one empty void. "It's technically just our step-dad gathering people together in order to perform criminal acts. I don't know what his goal is. Why marry our mother? Why get involved with the government? I'm…afraid to find out…"

Then there was silence; long, agonizing silence. I didn't know what to do. Utau was strong. She's a hard worker. To see her so feeble and confused somehow pierced through me.

"And…how's Soko ba-chan?" Hotori-kun asked, his voice soft and gentle.

"Mom disappeared a few weeks after remarrying that stupid old man" she grunted. "Her weak heart couldn't accept our father's death so she disappeared. Since then, Ikuto was all I had…"

"Well then!" Soma-kun said, standing up. "I guess all we have to do now is save him! Then we can ask him about what he knows about Fujisaki so we can drag him back with us!

The tiniest smile found its way to Utau's lips.

"But…" Kairi said, pushing his glasses up. "How do we start?"

_Ah. _That was a simple yet crucial point. And none of us knew how to begin. And so, an air of awkwardness filled the room.

"Um, well…where is the headquarters?" Yaya asked.

It was one fifty-nine a.m., approximately two days since Nagihiko left.

Everyone wanted to get involved in something they couldn't escape from. Everyone wanted to help.

"It's a plane ride away. But it's a really dangerous place…"

After about two seconds, we all looked each other. There was no point in voicing out our decision because we knew, just from the glint in everyone else's eyes that we were all thinking of doing the same thing.

_Tick tock_

It was two a.m., and we knew that things are about to get interesting…

* * *

**Okay, okay. So I was mistaken. This chapter is totally not entitled "Miku" I was wrong! But anyway, several things have been happening to me in school and now I can completely relate to possessive little Rima who just wants to keep her best friend, Amu, all to herself...**

***Sigh* Yay for inspiration? **


	32. Miku

**Chapter 32**

Nagihiko sat on the bunk bed inside his cell, looking helplessly at the dull, cemented wall. Several documents were pinned there- all of them of the people whom they, the people from this cruel "family", have "experimented" on.

_Tachiba Yuki, seventeen years old. Lived for seven days after being taken in. Survived one experiment._

_Miyuki Kyo, thirty years old. Lived for sixty days after being taken in. Survived seven experiments._

_Sonoda Saki, nineteen years old. Lived for four-hundred days after being taken in. Survived sixty experiments. _

The list went on and on, and Nagihiko wondered how long it would take before he was put on that list. The thought was breaking. Never did he think that two days after surrendering himself, he would still be alive. But then he wished that he would just die. He could feel the suffering of all of the people whose names are on the wall.

At some corners of the room, he saw ticks. Someone's been counting down the days. In some other parts of the lonely cell are names of people. Who are they? People who mattered to the prisoners such as him?

He could imagine himself now, desperately wanting to just die and ticking down every single day. He could imagine himself writing her name with a stone, wondering if she has finally gotten over what he said- because even now, Nagihiko couldn't forgive himself for saying that to her.

_She must hate me now_. He thought with a smile. _But that's for the best, I guess?_

Suddenly, a thin, sharp blade of white light dashed across the room and Nagihiko looked up with citrine eyes to see why. Then, in came a girl- possibly the first human being he's seen in what felt like years. She was skinny, though she had the most piercing green eyes Nagihiko's ever seen. Her skin was a very unhealthy shade of white, and her cheeks were hollow. Nagihiko took note of how she was practically stumbling across the room to get to a chair; how her long, tattered hair would swoosh back and forth as she walked- her movement similar to that of a zombie's.

When she got to the wooden chair (which was on the point of breakage), Nagihiko expected her to ignore him and go to sleep considering how traumatized she looked. However, she looked past her curtain of dark hair- at him- and spread her chapped lips into a wide, empty smile.

"Hello, newcomer!" she said, her voice lively in an incredibly creepy way. "So, have you already grown tired of the food they serve here?"

Nagihiko tucked a stray strand behind his ear then looked at her. "Well, a cup of rice and a piece of pea isn't really satisfying…"

"Ohohoho!" she laughed, placing a hand over her mouth. It goes without saying that it completely freaked-out our favorite witty, purple-headed boy. "Don't worry! They need to keep us healthy so they feed us meat every now and then!"

He looked at her from head to toe then gulped. _Yes. I could tell that they really plan to keep us healthy…_

"Anyway, what's your name?"

He couldn't understand how she could be so cheerful. Have the people here messed with her brain? The gloomy place isn't really something that could make Nagihiko happy. They weren't in a decent situation either. Then, looking past that smile, Nagihiko saw something else. This girl was also scared. She was also trying to keep up a façade.

"_Fujisaki, I am not afraid of you. Amu loves me more than she loves you. She's my best friend!"_

He could vaguely remember that tiny voice that always sounded so tough and defiant. That voice that was so small yet boomed with power. That voice which belonged to a small, very stubborn little girl who refused to let the world see her when she's frail.

And that night…in the snow…he saw it. That girl's voice was merely a meek little cry the last time he heard it. He couldn't protect her anymore. She shouldn't remember him as the good guy.

A few years from now, he'll be nothing to her. But then, no matter what he said, he wanted to see her smile at least. He couldn't let go without seeing her turn that frown upside down. Because last time he saw her, he made her cry.

"Hello? Are you listening?" the girl said, waving a bony hand in front of him. "Are you dead so early?"

He snapped out of his daze then looked at her. "Uh, I don't think so…" He was going to try and satisfy himself by seeing this girl smile, at least. He's never going to see Rima again, but to make this girl feel the slightest bit happy might actually slightly fill the empty void which is his soul.

"I'm Nagihiko. Nice to meet you"

The girl was taken aback. Normally, the people were scared of her. She couldn't blame them, though. She looked like the living dead, and she was creepy nonetheless.

But this boy…this boy was looking her in the eye. He was _smiling_.

She placed a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. "I'm Mikuru"

Mikuru may not know it now, but she just lost a part of herself to him.

* * *

**Ah kay...so this is the "Miku" chapter I wanted to put up ages ago! Anyway, Rima's not here, though she she was briefly mentioned. Don't hate me! I need to show how Nagi's doing. And for my sanity and inner fangirl, I wanna spice up their relationship a little bit.**


	33. In which Kirshima becomes more bold

**Chapter 33**

_Oh shoot_. I am such an idiot. Of course mama and papa would take me to the psychiatrist! I sounded like a complete psycho who just lost a portion of her brain!

"Rima…" papa whispered from the driver's seat. Mama was beside him, silent. They're not technically getting along, as always, but they couldn't focus on each other now because their minds are pointing towards an incredibly wrong assumption. "Rima, drugs are bad for you"

"I know that…" I whispered, looking out at the sky. The sun was bright- ruthlessly piercing through my skin. We were going at a speedy rate compared to the other cars. My parents want to have me checked as soon as possible because they think that I've gone mad. "I know that it's bad for you. I'm not taking any, I swear! I'm telling you the truth! I'm friends with Hoshina Utau and she wants to go on a vacation with me and my friends to Hokkaido! She has all the transportation, food and money we need"

I felt the car accelerate, and I held back a sigh. But then mama and papa started to whisper among themselves. No shouting. No cursing. They were agreeing on the fact that I must've gone insane. Afterall, Utau is currently the top idol. She earns billions. She's incredibly rich. She's beautiful. Based on what the media says about her, she's too good to be friends with anyone.

She has a house in LA. She has villas all over the world. She apparently lives in a mansion and she has a French boyfriend. I know most of these rumors aren't true but that's because I know her personally. My parents and the rest of the world, however, don't.

That is why when I (rational and sane me) told them about our plans for Hokkaido, which is apparently where the headquarters is at, well…I found myself being thrown into the car, on my way to the psychiatrist.

"Do you know her friends? I know this Hinamori she used to tell us about. Do you think that she's a delinquent who messes with her brain?"

"She didn't look like it. If it's any of her friends, I bet that she wouldn't tell us about it"

"Well, she doesn't tell us anything…"

"Do you think that it's our fault?"

There was a long stream of silence.

"Of course not. It's your fault"

"No, it's yours"

The silent whispers were starting to become louder. So I decided to maintain the good chemistry of the two by getting their attention back to their "psychotic" daughter. "Mama, papa, did you know that Hoshina Utau said that I was her best friend? She was on the sleepover I had with Amu and Yaya last night!"

Mama and papa paused then glanced at me.

"This is bad, anata. This is really, really bad. We should get her there quick before the delusions become worse"

"I agree…"

The car accelerated a little more. Mama and papa continued to whisper among themselves but despite what they said about me, somehow, I managed a small smile.

_Why can't they always be like this?_

x x x

When my parents were in the office, asking the psychiatrist about what could possibly be wrong with me, I tossed out my phone and dialed Amu's number. She picked it up on the second ring, and I told her about my dilemma.

"That's harsh," she whispered. Then, this time with a more cheerful voice, she said, "Oh, by the way, you said that you're in the psychiatrist, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Say hi to Kukai and Yaya when you see them. They're there too. It didn't go well for them either…"

I felt the tips of my lips tug up a little bit. "You have no sympathy, Amu. Just because your parents instantly believed you"

"Well, Utau did barge into the house last night to help me get you to my room. They were pleased, you know" she pointed out. I let out a small chuckle. But then I heard _it _from inside the psychiatrist's office.

"Oh, that sounds pretty bad. I'll check on your daughter right away"

I pulled the phone closer to my ear and cried, "Amu, _help_"

"Okay, okay" she said. "I have Utau's number and I'll send her over right away"

x x x

"Okay, Rima-chan. First, I will show you a picture and you tell me what comes to mind" the psychiatrist said, digging through her table. I nodded my head, though my eyes were frantically looking around. Where the heck is that pop star? I'm in this situation because I'm helping her! The least she could do is to immediately get me out of this mess…

"Okay. What do you see?" she held up a piece of paper with ink blotted all over it.

"Ink" I stated blatantly. "Someone blotted ink all over that paper"

"Okay" she said, putting it down before pulling out another one. She held up another paper. Again, it had ink blotted all over it. "Now what do you see?"

"Ink"

She gave me a scrutinizing look, and I bit my lip.

"Uh…am I supposed to see a dancing whale or something?"

At that, moment, the door flew open. Everyone lifted their heads to acknowledge the new visitor. Then, there was a moment of silence.

I quirked my lips up a little bit.

She was there. Finally, she was there. I mean, she was wearing a _Teletubbies _costume and was holding a rainbow Afro on her left arm but still. She was there!

"Ho-" my mother's voice was caught in between her throat, making speech impossible. The psychiatrist just stood there, her eyes bugging out as she looked at _her_ from head to toe to make sure that she wasn't becoming delusional herself.

"Hoshina…" my dad whispered, his jaw dropping.

They just stood there, trying to let the situation sink in. In the midst of their shock, Utau turned to me then winked.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble" she told them, smiling. "I mean we're going to a pretty far place in such short notice so I was being insensitive to think that it'll be easy to let her come with us to this trip. But I hope that you let Rima-tan go because she's one of my only friends. Don't worry. The pilot who'll be flying us there is very well-trained and the plane itself is properly maintained. The food I will serve them, of course, will be fresh and healthy. If you have diet preferences for your daughter, I'll make sure to tell the chef. If it's security you're worried about, don't worry. I have bodyguards who will protect her too. My manager will also be coming if you're looking for a responsible adult and-"

"Utau" I cut her off. "I'll handle it from here" I turned to my parents, both of them looking red in the face. "Mama, papa, I'll ask you once again. Can I please go to my friend's villa in Hokkaido?"

Mama glanced at papa, and papa glance at her. They just stared at each other for awhile, their eyes wide, before they turned to me.

"O-of course!" mama cried. "You're friend looks like a responsible, kind lady"

And so, that's how I was allowed on the trip. Going out, I shifted my gaze to Utau's outfit.

"Teletubbies?" I asked, raising my brows. She frowned then turned away, completely dropping her façade.

"They were the only disguises available in the apartment I rented. I can't go back home and pick up my usual disguise. I'm sure that Mr. Executive Director is making someone guard the place in case I return…" She then put on the rainbow afro to hide her glorious golden twin-tails. "By the way, Mashiro. I can't use my usual privileges since it might attract the attention of the family. So this will be a budget trip. We're staying at a motel when we get there and we're eating instant noodles, got it? Don't ask for anything extravagant"

I let out a dramatic sigh and curled a strand of my hair. "How rude. We're doing this to help you but you can't do as much as feed us foie gras" Utau flushed, suddenly enraged. Before she could retort, however, I added, "But then…Nagihiko might be there too. And I want t save him…"

An air of pure silence hung between us. Then, Utau said, "You really like that guy, do you?"

"Why yes. As a matter of fact, I do. In fact, once I get him back, I want nothing more than to lock him up in my closet and keep him there forever"

"Wow…" Utau snickered, turning to me. "I'm not sure if I should be happy or scared for him"

I looked down. "It wouldn't matter. I doubt that he likes me, anyway"

But despite what I said, a voice at the back of my mind kept nagging me about what he told me in the ambulance.

x x x

On the morning of our flight, I was surprised to see mama and papa already waiting by the living room. They sat on couches across from the other, avoiding the other's gaze. They weren't speaking at all. And when I walked in, they snapped their heads up, alarmed.

"Are you sure that you need all of that?" mama said, referring to my luggage. It was large- difficult for my small frame to carry. I told them that I'll be in Hokkaido for about three days, and even they could tell that what I was bringing was too much. "All you need are your clothes, the toothbrush and some books you might want to read. Aren't you staying in a villa? What's in that bag, anyway?"

"I brought a lot of clothes!" I lied. While it's true that I brought a lot of clothes (six sets and two pairs of pajamas), those weren't the stuff that took up most of the space. In the luggage, I have a bento box, some utensils, a blanket, a bed-sheet, towels, several cup noodles and pepper-spray. I'm not sure about what kind of inn we'll be staying at, but considering that our budget is pretty low, and that our main goal is to rescue Ikuto and Nagihiko, I want to be as prepared as possible.

Papa nodded. "Well, I bet that it's about time we head for the airport" he said, opening the door. He put the bulky luggage into the back of the car. Although it took a lot of squeezing, in the end, we managed to push it in. The ride to the airport was silent. It wasn't really awkward, either. As I sat there, I could feel the thoughts racing through my parents' minds. After meeting up with Utau, they were guilty. Finally, they came to realize that there's a lot to me that they don't know.

I have the entire male population in school under my control.

Blooming cherry blossoms remind me of the nostalgic, happy times our family shared.

I am about to face something dangerous when I get to Hokkaido.

I kept a boy in my room for a pretty long time.

I have fallen in-love.

I have realized that this person I love happens to turn into a girl.

That person saw me naked!

I am capable of murderous intent, and I actually plan on using it on said boy once everything settles.

Yup. Mama and papa don't know me at all.

Papa came to a stop, and I snapped out of my daze. When I came to my senses, I realized that I was at the airport. Then, I glanced at them. That's when I remembered it: I'm going to do something dangerous. These people I'm about to deal with are capable of murder. Our chances of survival are high considering that we have a plan, but who knows what will happen. This may be the last time I'll see them again.

The guard opened the door for me, but I just continued to look at the two people who have raised me.

"Ma'am, please hurry up. There are cars at the back waiting for you to move" the guard said.

Then, something came over me. I leaned towards the gap between the driver's and passenger's seat and embraced my parents. Through the rearview mirror, I saw the look of shock cross over their features. "I'll miss you both…"

"R-Rima…" mama gasped, curling her fingers around my arms.

Through the window of the car, I saw mama and papa glance at each other. I wouldn't say that there was a look of pure love in their eyes nor would I say that they were about to break into an argument. Their expressions were solemn. I don't know what went through their minds. But when papa pulled the accelerator, and when mama turned away from him, I knew that they have undoubtedly fallen out of love.

I knew that no matter what, there's nothing I can do about it.

x x x

The inside of the airport was large, and for a moment, I worried that I might get lost. However, the moment I stepped into the waiting room where my friends and I planned to meet up, a certain pig-tailed brunette stood out. She was gobbling up a pack of cupcakes. All the passengers in her area were gone, and the people she was with looked at her in awe and respect.

"Guys!" I called, waving my arms. The whole gang was there- Soma-kun, Amu, Hotori-kun, Yaya, Kirishima-kun, Kairi and a person in a chicken suit.

"Chibi!" the person in the chicken suit said in a monotone, slightly lifting her feathery arms.

I walked towards them, ignoring the stares people gave me for approaching the strange group of people. "What happened to your teletubbies costume, Utau?" I asked the idol, looking up from the chicken suit's mouth so that I could see her face. She winced her lilac eyes then sighed.

"It's too bulky for this trip…"

"Well, if it's the disguise you're worried about, I brought a beret" I stated. Then I saw Amu gleam.

"Oh that's perfect, Utau! I have a scarf and sunglasses!"

From inside the extravagant costume, I could tell that Utau was smiling. "Could I borrow them, then?"

"No time" Kirishima-kun stated, staring at his ticket. "It's almost time for our flight!"

"Then we'd better get moving" Hotori-kun said, slinging his backpack over his shoulders. Everyone started to walk ahead. Then, I grabbed my luggage. I was about to catch up to everyone else (not without wobbling and tripping, of course) when I felt a certain warmth wrap around the hand I used to carry the heavy bag.

"Kirishima-kun…" I murmured, looking up. With a small smile, he got the luggage from my hand.

"Just to let you know, Mashiro-san, I don't plan on losing you…"

* * *

**Okay...so...late update? Waah! I was planning to update sooner because the previous chapter was short but then stuff happened. And I was forced to go on weeks without a laptop. Anyway, enough about my personal life.**

**As you can see, this is mostly about Kirishima becoming more bold. Only a few more chapters to go before Rima and Nagi meet. Lets see just how strong their "bond" is. **


	34. Not gonna get caught

**Chapter 34**

"We're here!" Yaya enthusiastically cried, stepping out of the taxi. The rest of us followed suit. Then, looking up at the place we were about to stay at, our jaws dropped. The place was made out of thin metal sheets topped with cheap paint. It was run-down, with rust surrounding the walls. If it weren't for the bright, blinking sign that screamed "Hokkaido Motel", I would've thought that these rooms were just a compilation of abandoned cubicles. "We're…here…" Yaya repeated her statement, only with less enthusiasm.

We all just stood there, frozen. And I swear I could hear the wind passing us by.

"O-oi, Utau…" Soma-kun mumbled, looking down at the known idol who was now wearing the disguise given to her by me and Amu. She kept her hands on her hips to keep her dignified pose, and even though she was smaller that Soma-kun, she held the air of superiority between them.

"What is it, _bozu_?" she snapped.

"A-are we sleeping in these toilets?"

"They're not toilets. Don't be picky! We're not here for a vacation!"

"What happened to my mental image of idols?!" he yelped. Then I remembered a few weeks back when he shared with us what he thought of pop idols- skinny, picky little Barbie dolls who are so focused on their looks and would most probably die of anorexia.

Utau just scoffed before glancing at the taxi. Its doors were still wide open, and the driver was earnestly staring at the motel. "I guess we should start getting our stuff"

"On it" I said. On my way there, I heard foot steps following me. I walked faster. So did the footsteps.

"How do you find the place, Kirishima-kun?" I asked, looking back at him. He shrugged.

"It's tolerable"

"Oh is that so…" I hummed as I bent down to pick up my luggage. The driver was staring at us, his pale blue eyes narrowing in impatience. "It's amazing how you got caught up in this situation."

He shrugged. "Well, Mashiro-san, it was inevitable. Even when we were kids, I've always been following you around"

"Well you didn't have to follow me into such a dangerous situation" I was now outside the taxi, my luggage at hand. Kirishima-kun leaned into the cab to grab his own backpack. I could hear shuffling noises, and I observed how his soft hair would bounce as he worked on grabbing his own bag from beneath everyone else's. "I want to, Mashiro-san" he whispered, looking at me. "I want to be the one to protect you…"

Now I'm not sure what came over me. It wasn't like I was suddenly in-love with him or anything, but what he said was flattering. And that coupled by the shock I felt towards what my childhood friend said caused my face to heat up. He was locking his eyes on mine now, his gaze not faltering. I didn't know what to say to that. "O-okay…" I replied, lamely. He smiled, as if my answer was so satisfying.

Then the driver turned to us and said, "For a moment, I thought that that girl in a beret was Hoshina Utau…" I felt myself stiffen. No way! Was it that obvious? "But then…there's no way an idol such as her would stay in a place like that…"

"Y-yeah…" Amu smiled, coming from behind us. "There's just no way…"

After paying the taxi driver, we entered that one room which we will all be sharing. It was around half the size of Amu's room, including its bathroom, and on the middle stood a single bed covered up by webs and dust. Not only was the place way too small to accommodate all of us; it was also extremely unsanitary. Scared, we all shifted our eyes to Utau.

"It's…a little smaller than I thought," she murmured.

"I couldn't agree more" Soma-kun sighed, pulling out a web hanging by the doorway. Suddenly, there was a soft thumping noise as Utau's fists met Soma-kun's head.

"Don't kill the spiders! They'll eat all of the flies here for us!"

"We're seriously staying here?" Yaya whimpered, clinging to Soma-kun. Kairi took a step forward and adjusted his glasses, "This place is free. The budget is limited. We only use what we managed to grab from Tsukiyomi-san's piggy bank and-"

"Piggy bank?" Hotori-kun said. Everyone just fixed their eyes at Utau, the same thing running through their minds. "Utau-chan, didn't you say that you quit using those stuff when we were six?"

"Everyone be quiet. You get the point. Anyway, let's start discussing the plan!" she said, her cheeks flushing. She entered the room and deposited her backpack into a corner.

When I entered the room, I immediately felt my nose crumple. It smelt of urine and alcohol. I placed my bag atop everyone else's afraid of what could've possibly been on the ground. Then, to my dismay, everyone sat on the floor, forming a circle.

"They've probably got Ikuto locked up in the cell, and assuming that Fujisaki isn't frolicking around with his imaginary fiancé, I bet that he'd be there too"

I felt myself flinch at how bluntly she said it.

"Anyway…" Utau said, bringing out a large blue paper. She spread it across the floor and I held my breath. It was a blueprint- an incredibly nasty and complicated blueprint. "Over here," Utau said, pointing at a symbol that looked like bars, "is a small window. No one really watches over this area. We can send someone small to pass through here"

Everyone looked at me before resuming.

"That small person will go to the changing room," she said, sliding her finger to a room. She then led her finger to what looked like the edge of the hallway, "grab some uniforms and let the rest in through the fire exit"

"That's a simple idea! We can totally pull it off!" Yaya cried.

"Nagihiko and Ikuto will definitely be alright" Amu beamed.

I slammed my fist against the floor. "Don't I have a say in this?" They all just looked at me, as if they didn't know what I was talking about. "You're gonna make me be the first one to break in through the window. I just know it!"

There was a moment where I could hear everyone's shocked, nervous gasps- their breaths creating a vacuum in the air.

"Wow. You're smart, Mashiro-san. How'd you figure that out?" Hotori-kun asked, dumbstruck.

"You're eyes spoke to me…" I murmured.

"Well, we can force her to accept her role later on" Sanjo-kun said, pushing his glasses up. ("What?" I cried, though no one minded me). "Anyway, the idea is to go to the cells while in the uniform. If we act normal enough, they won't notice that we're trespassers"

"And after that?" Yaya whispered. We all turned to her, not used to her speaking softly. "When we're done saving Nagi and Ikuto-kun, what happens after that? They'll keep hunting us down. And being the ones that got them out, our families might get involved…"

"No problem!" Utau stated, crossing her arms. "Because we're not going to get caught!"

x x x

With hardly any light lingering in the small cell, it's a miracle that Nagihiko and Mikuru could still differentiate between day and night. Still, though, that doesn't change the fact that for several days, they've been doing nothing but stare at the same wall. Nagihiko thought about this and wondered if the boredom has played a big role in Mikuru's state of mind. But then he guessed that he's still lucky to actually get decent responses from her. He has asked her about her past and realized that she was actually a rich, happy little kid in her youth. But then she was betrayed by her friends- tearing her away from her childhood sweetheart- and leading her to live the imprisoned life she had now. He also realized that she's been kept in that very same cage for seven years. Basically, she's the longest experiment who's lived, and ever since she was taken in, she's witnessed all of the people she's been caged with die.

It was all too much for a little kid to handle. As you can see, theses experiences reached its toll and this girl would oftentimes wind up saying about two or three morbid things at a time.

"The shortened life span has something to do with the experiments, Nagi-kun!" she said, almost a little too happily. "they dissect you and they tear you apart; they rip off some of your body parts and keep it for 'future reference'! The bodies of the people before you couldn't take it so they die," then she smiled, her piercing eyes narrowing. "Nagi-kun, I wonder how long _you_ will last…"

Uh…make that five…

"_Oh_…" Nagihiko whispered, moving away from her a little bit. At that moment, he realized that getting this girl to smile genuinely (as in…with no malice or morbid thoughts involved) was more difficult than it seemed. "Let's change the topic"

"Yes!"

"About your childhood sweetheart…"

"No!"

She turned away from him, and Nagihiko had to repress a sigh. Then, he saw how her brows were furrowed, and that mixed with a stubborn pout as she rolled herself into a ball was both cute and… _incredibly familiar_…

Her position reminded him of someone else, and he couldn't repress a huge grin at that.

Mikuru, finally noticing how he hadn't reacted as she had expected, raised her brows, "What are you smiling about now, Nagi-kun?"

He scratched the back of his head then leaned back. "Nothing. You just remind me of someone when you're not talking about my death…"

She lay down beside him, though Nagihiko didn't notice her clench her teeth. Something about his tone when he spoke of this 'someone' caused her heart to drop. But she managed to hide it with a wry smile.

"Do you like this person?"

He flinched, and it took several seconds before he regained his composure. The feelings were new to him. What does he do? Does he just admit it?

Nagihiko is an average teen despite his incredibly high IQ , meaning that he had the brain of an average teenage boy. Who is in-love.

Crazy in-love.

And his average teenage brain did all it could do at the moment- command all of the blood to go gushing towards his face. Jealous Mikuru saw this as a bad sign and continued to bombard him with questions. But poor boy was clearly not used to being questioned about his love life because he's sure that the only people who knew he had one in the first place was probably him. Now Mikuru, too. Not even Rima-chan herself. And because of this, he was never the target of any teasing.

"Does she like you?"

He scratched the back of his head. _Does she even like me after what I said? _He questioned himself, sadly. Then he remembered that he'll probably never see her again, and keeping that small flame of hope alive would only mean dejection.

"No…" he whispered.

Mikuru paused for a moment, both satisfied and relieved, (with a twinge of this thought: '_Hoooow could she possibly not like HIM?'_) until she decided to voice out her hasty generalization.

"So you like her" her tone has gone several octaves lower. She was serious, and her voice was more of a demand rather than a question. Nagihiko never got the chance to reply because she grabbed his shoulder and pulled him towards her until they were merely centimeters apart. "And I remind you of her. So you like me!"

"That's a hasty generalization, Mikuru-san," he said, the proximity allowing his cool breath to brush against Mikuru's nose and her…_lips_. The girl was flushing now. And at that moment, all she could think of was…

_He's…really cute…_

_But then,_ she added, _how does he keep his breath so cool? Don't tell me that he actually has time to use the toothbrush that we're provided here!_

"So you don't like me?" she asked, a little sullenly.

Nagihiko was more than sensitive to women's body language, if you know what I mean. Afterall, if he were Nadeshiko, he would notice how the female hormones would cause his body to make positions following the sync of his emotions. Then there's Amu, wherein you'd have to be BLIND if you don't see how she feels. She's an open book, and she is the model of how a girl's body moves when feeling a certain emotion.

But ah, let's not forget the small chibi blonde who is very discreet. It's because of her he's mastered the art of carefully... CAREFULLY observing one's body language. Afterall, it's a challenge to read her. This taught Nagihiko to notice the more subtle signs and hints, such as how she slightly twitches or slouches (if, _for example_, she were insecure about her cup size)

Now, let's try telling said chibi blonde about how Nagihiko noticed all of this and watch his cute face get smacked.

But unfortunately for Mikuru, despite Nagihiko's amazing skills to read how one's feeling, and despite his incredible ability to cheer people up, what Mikuru's been telling him stuck to mind and he couldn't see how she could possibly be serious. Especially when the topic was as sensitive as the one that they were having.

"Are you like this with everyone who's been caged with you?"

"What?"

"Mikuru-san, if so, you need to see the world and meet more people!"

Suddenly, Nagihiko bolted up then looked out at a small hole made by a misaligned brick. It showed you the world outside- it was the hole that provided them with light.

"What are you doing, Nagihiko-kun?"

"You have to break out of here. Nine years old isn't exactly a good age to take away your freedom. You have a lot to experience, teachers to impress, school rules to follow, school awards to gain and you can't experience that here"

"Break me _out_?" she yelped, running her bony fingers through her hair. "You can't break me out, Nagi-kun! What will I…what will I even do there? The sun will fry me!"

"You sound like a vampire…"

"And…and I haven't gone to school since I was nine! How can I go to college? How will I get a job? How can I earn in a decent house? How can I pay taxes?"

To her surprise, Nagihiko bent down then looked her straight in the eye, a semi-smirk worming its way to his face. "Wow, Mikuru-chan. You're smart." For the first time in years, she felt that strange sensation fill up her cheeks. No one's called her smart for a long time. She's been acting like a gory maniac and would joke about the deaths of the people in the cell with her. Needless to say, she frightened them. But after a lot of goodbyes, she realized that it was better to be lonely rather than to be attached with someone who will eventually die.

But then at that very moment, she convinced herself that he was different. Nagihiko was strong. And unlike the other people who died after being dissected for merely a few times, she said to herself: Nagihiko will stick with me 'till it's my turn to die.

Suddenly, Nagihiko paused as a sad look crossed his eye. He bit his lip then turned away. "But once we break you out, I can't stick with you. I need to stay here"

The smile in Mikuru's face froze. "_What!_"

Then Nagihiko was suddenly frantic. "If I…if I leave, then they'll hurt my friends and my family and-"

"INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!" Nagihiko and Mikuru looked up at the red alarm. Who the heck would dare break into the headquarters? But then Nagihiko's head swiveled to the CCTV monitor. Instantly, his eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open.

"Those guys…" he muttered, dumbstruck. Mikuru, who saw his entire mood change, glanced at the monitor and narrowed her eyes. _This could mean trouble_, she thought.

"Mikuru-san, do you, by any chance, have a hairpin?" Nagihiko asked, now fully alert, serious and a little bit shaken. Mikuru looked at him for a moment, dark eyes blinking in wonder until she decided that he would hate her if she weren't of much help.

"I'm sure that I have several of them lost somewhere in my hair!" she said, patting the wild mane of dark hair. "Why?"

"Can you please hand me one? I need to break us out of here."

x x x

_"No problem!" a boy said mockingly as he huffed a breath, sprinting through the halls, "because we're not going to get caught! Yeah. You were sooo right. This plan was sooo successful!"_

_The person he was mocking narrowed her eyes. She clenched her wrists which were tightly wrapped by his tanned hands before saying in between gasps "Oh, shut up, bozu! Now's not the time to be rubbing it in my face! Now keep running!"_

* * *

**SPOILER! The running people at the last part are Inuyasha and Kagome (T_T) **chiiii...

**Because...you know...Inuyasha has very tan hands and...**

**Anyway, thanks for giving me your feedbacks! And lol. Yeah... I wanted to see more of Kirishima in the anime (without a doubt, it will result to a lot of Rimahiko fluff!) **

**And I'm honestly lost in this fic...**

**I completely went astray. So now I honestly don't know how to do things. But that's...fine! Being completely unorganized and messy is...cool? **

**And I can feel it in my _bones_ that it will almost end! You know...in just about...sixty chapters, I think?  
**


	35. Break in

**Chapter 35**

_A few hours before the moment Nagihiko wanted to sneak out_

* * *

The distance from our "motel" to the headquarters was a good three kilometers away. To walk that far must be agonizing, and I do not, nor will I ever understand how my friends are cool with it.

"It's fine, Rima!" Amu had told me, "We can always take breaks in between if you really can't take it!"

_No! _They don't understand! The furthest I've walked was probably half a kilometer- not even half of the distance we were supposed to take. And besides, if you leave it up to me, I'd be resting for a full twenty minutes with every few steps. What time would we get there, then? Night wouldn't be a good time to sneak in. There are more guards and booby traps. We'll die before taking a step in!

I huff a breath, feeling my fist clench. "Okay then," I say "Let's go now!"

A few minutes later, I was feeling faint. As I hiked through the flat pavements of Hokkaido's sidewalks- all sticky and damp, mind you- I've only got one thing in my mind. _Fujisaki Nagihiko must me punished for making me go through this._

"Rima-tan, are you okay?" Yaya asked, looking back at me. I squat on the floor and wiped a sticky strand of hair away from my face.

"I'm dying…"

"Oh…" she mumbled. Then, she just stared at me like the good friend that she is. "But Rima-tan, we've only walked about half a kilometer."

"I am at my limit, and I am about to die…"

"No, Rima-tan! You mustn't leave us!" she cried.

"But I can't take it anymore! I think that I'm going to get a heart attack now, leaving behind a beautiful corpse!"

Next thing I knew, I felt something cool beneath my chin. I looked down and saw that Kirishima-kun was holding out an ice cream for me.

"Strawberry. Your favorite!" he grinned.

Because even Kairi had admitted that he's been feeling slightly woozy, we decided to take a ten minute break in the park. All the while, I couldn't help but feel guilty. I was mostly at fault for delaying the plan. I may be tired but I also didn't want to risk failing. As time went by, I was slowly becoming surer of the fact that Nagihiko didn't leave us for a girl. Still, I had this flicker of doubt.

He did, afterall, look genuine that day…

Kirishima-kun sat beside me in the bench, holding a chocolate ice cream. I was licking mine while staring absent-mindedly at the ground.

"Hoshina-san said that she'll be getting a cab afterall. We can't have anyone collapse in the middle of breaking someone out," he smiled. I felt myself sigh inwardly in relief. Then, I turned to him.

"I never got to thank you for the ice cream." I told him.

"It's nothing," he stated before adding, "I like treating you to stuff. I guess it makes up for those times you took me out for snacks when we were younger"

"I couldn't help it," I replied, staring at the ice cream with a soft smile. "You always looked so beaten up. You were like a little brother I had to protect"

A strange expression suddenly loomed over his features. For a second, I worried. He didn't laugh nor joke about it like I expected him to. That's how he always reacts to things when I talk about our past. Instead, he caught me off-guard with his next question.

"Say…did you treat Fujisaki-kun to stuff back then, too?" he asked. I felt my stomach clench. I ended up staring at him, astonished; though that wasn't enough for him to take back the question. He just stared at me, sincerely…waiting…

"No" I finally admitted. Then I paused, suddenly remembering a vague image. My eyes popped wide open when it finally painted itself clear.

"Well…there was this one time…" I murmured.

It was two weeks after Nagihiko's dad has been reported dead. By that time, the group was already made. By then, I had already accepted Hotori-kun, Yaya and Soma-kun as friends. But despite the big group of people, not one had heard from Nagihiko since the incident.

They say to give him more time. I, personally, just wanted him to come out so that everyone would stop being gloomy. I was always selfish when it came to him- never cared about his well-being unless it would do me some good. But when I saw him in the park one day, sitting alone at a branch of a persimmon tree, I felt a certain tug. I told myself that it was just pity. The bastard did, after all, just lose his dad.

But deep inside, I knew that that wasn't the case.

"Get down from there and talk! Everyone's worried about you!" I screamed at him. I expected him to ignore me all the way. In fact, I already had a pebble at hand. But then he turned to me, a solemn smile spread across his face.

"Okay. But you'd better promise not to kiss me…"

I was a little kid, but I already knew why people would exchange kisses. It's because they loved each other. As a kid, I was more that convinced that Nagihiko and I didn't share a single twinge of affection towards each other. Our jokes were always malevolent- meant to destroy the other. They were never friendly or, in that case, flirty.

So, since I couldn't come up with a witty comeback, I only did what my young mind could think of. I hauled the pebble at him, and he screamed. It was when I saw him on the grassy bottom of the tree- sprawled along with the round persimmons- with a few scratches here and there did I realize my mistake.

"OMIGOD, FUJISAKI! ARE YOU DEAD?! I'M SO SORRY!" I cried, coming up to him. When he didn't move, I felt my chest twist. But then he spoke, his eyes still glassy, "Don't come near me. Just let me die here…"

I didn't listen to him. Instead, I bent down and stared straight into his big, brown eyes. A look of fear crossed his face, and he slowly moved away from me.

"I didn't mean to almost kill you, y'know…" I stated, refusing to apologize. He didn't budge. He just hugged his knees and looked down, refusing to meet my gaze. At that, I couldn't help but feel slightly pissed. I stood up with a jolt then walked away. However, I couldn't help but look back. And when I saw that his elbows were bleeding, I felt guilty.

I decided that the guilt will eventually leave. But then the further I trudged on, the more it was eating me up. Finally, I stopped by a store and bought a box of chocolate drops. Next thing I knew, I was running to the persimmon tree where I had left Nagihiko. To my surprise, he was still there curled up in that same ball I had left him in.

I snapped the box open and nudged it at him.

"Here," I said. Slowly, he peeked over his shoulder, at me, and flushed at the proximity of our faces. "You weren't scared of me the first time we met. Why be scared now?" I hissed, shaking the box.

"It's because," he started, "you're a girl…"

"So does that mean that you'll be scared of Amu now too?" I asked. He slowly shook his head.

"No. Amu-chan wouldn't kiss me. She has Tadase-kun."

"I wouldn't kiss you either!" I stated. He just looked at me. Then, ever s slowly, he accepted the box of chocolate drops. He smiled at it for a second before popping one into his mouth.

"Neither would I. Jeez, I can't believe that I considered, even for a minute, that you would. We don't share that kind of thing, ne?"

I was a kid, so I didn't know what the aching feeling in my chest meant. I ignored it, and narrowed my eyes at him. "Ew! Why would you even think that?!"

He just smiled at me- a rare thing he'd do in the past. Then I felt my heart beat faster- the meaning of it was a mystery for me at that age.

"Well, my mind's been a mess lately. Papa died and…I found out several weird things…"

x x x

When we (finally) made it to the headquarters, which just happens to be an abandoned building at the corner of Hokkaido, I felt myself shiver. It was in a desolated area, as if saying that even if you scream, no one will be there to help you. The building itself wasn't well maintained, though I couldn't really tell from outside. The doors were shut and the windows were opaque. I didn't know what was going on inside, and if I didn't know about the criminals, I would've thought of paranormal things loitering in the area.

"Well, Rima, you ready?" Amu asked, glancing at me. I gulped, shut my eyes and nodded. _Yes_.

Kirishima-kun and Soma-kun helped each other hoist me up. On my way in, I noticed how the window was just my size.

"One, two, three..." the two boys said, bouncing me up, "Go!"

I fell into the other side of the wall, covering my head and rolling into a ball just like the boys told me to. It helped. I didn't die of head trauma from the impact. But it still hurt, and I needed a few seconds to recover from the fall.

"Rima, are you alright in there?" Amu called from the other side of the building.

"Yeah..." I said, my voice hoarse from the pain.

"Okay, then. We'll be waiting in _that_ place." she replied, referring to the fire exit. After rubbing my elbows and my head, I managed to stand. Cautiously, I opened the door to the other room- the locker room- and crumpled my nose as the smell of gym socks and sweat entered my nostrils.

The locker room itself wasn't as disgusting as it smelled. There were metal benches in the middle, and it pretty much looked just like any other locker room although this was messy. Used clothes that range from shirts to pants, socks to underwear, were discarded all over the place. Then I remembered that I was apparently supposed to get eight of these disgusting uniforms and _wear_ one of them to help us blend in!

I glared daggers at each and every uniform scattered all over the place, deciding that all of them deserved to be burnt. Then I thought that there _must _be some clean pairs in here somewhere! And so, I approached one of the lockers. I gripped the handle- it was warm and sweaty- and twitched when I realized that it was… locked.

I approached all other lockers.

Lockedlockedlocked_locked_LOCKED.

"You need a combination to open that" I heard a husky voice from behind. I felt my eyes widen as it dawned on me- I've been caught. And it's only the first part of my plan! I was scared, guilty, HORRIFIED though I felt a twinge of annoyance for failing at the first freakin' part of the plan! This…this supposed simple plan!

I turned around, stiff shoulders and all, to face the man that had caught me. Then I was shocked. I wouldn't say that he was my age- probably in his late thirties or something. But he was handsome. And I would've ogled over him a little longer if this wasn't the death of me.

"Where are your parents? Are you lost, _little girl_?" he asked.

The twinge of annoyance took over all other feelings when I realized it: I don't seem like a threat, huh? Am I so flat-chested, no-hips and small that this man actually thinks that I'm a lost little girl frolicking around their headquarters? That's so…annoying!

Still, though; I guess that I need to play along. Or I'll die.

So here goes…

3, 2, 1…

"WAAAAH!" I cried, turning on the waterworks. I made sure to do all that other kid stuff- rubbing my eyes, sniffing, rubbing my eyes, sniffing. Then it was the man's turn to look taken aback.

"D-do you want some lollipop?" he asked, taking the candy out from his pocket. Personally, I'd rather have a box of pocky and a nice, warm cup of hot chocolate but there's no room to be picky here. Mustering up enough level of childish bounciness and… _smiles_, I grabbed the candy and turned to him. With a smile.

"Thank you, nii-chan!"

He smiled, midnight blue eyes narrowing as he did so.

"Now why don't you sit and tell me how you got in here?"

_Oh shiiiiiiiiiii_- what do I tell him? I can't say that I went through the window. It's high, and it would reveal the fact that I have accomplices. I also can't say that I got in through the front door! The guards there exceed the number of ants when carrying a dead rat!

Would he believe me when I claim that the guards didn't notice me? I am trapped. But then there's no way that I would show it through my face. All I've got now is my facade. There's no way I'd drop that, even for a second, with the look of fear starting to build up in my chest.

But then…what _do _I tell him?

In my mind, I mentally berated with myself. _Say something, you jolt! Anything!_

_Ring! _

I sprang up, my back suddenly straight as the sound of a cellular phone interrupted my thoughts. The man, with what looked like a semi-smirk, picked it up before bringing it to his ear. He stood up, still talking on the phone and turned away from me.

_Now's my chance_, I thought, although before I could even stand to walk away, he looked at me and motioned for me to follow. I was immobilized. Should I follow? _Ofcoursenotyouidiotyou'lldiea, _said the panicking part of my mind. But the man was obviously faster than me, and if I tried to show a hint of dishonesty, everything could fall apart. And so, I followed albeit slowly. Then, after noticing my hesitation, he gently held my hand before resuming conversation with whoever it was on the other line.

Staring at his back as I walked, I noticed how tall he was. Then I realized that the reason he was holding my hand was rather annoying. He was doing it because he thought that I was a kid!

_Sigh_, what I wouldn't give to never experience something like this ever again. You know…because…average sixteen year-olds don't get mistaken for seven year-olds right? RIGHT?

"Oh, boss! I'll be there in awhile" he said.

My blood ran cold.

No no no! This can't be happening. This _cannot _be happening. Why do I always mess up? The plan was simple! Maybe if I acted a little more discreet…maybe I wouldn't have been caught.

Everyone…everyone depended on me! They would never think that I'd lead them straight to the boss! How could I possibly mess this up?

"Here"

He handed me a pair of "his" uniform, and I felt my eyes widen. He was giving me a clean pair. A friggin' clean pair. How am I supposed to react to that? I felt around the cloth, eager to find out if there were any tracking devices implanted on the thing but there was none!

"You wanted a pair, right?"

I stared at him, dumbstruck. "Why are you doing this?"

I'm not sure if it was just me, but a small smile wormed its way into his face. He never answered my question. Instead, he walked away but not before sending me a small wave.

"I need to go now. There's something I need to do!" he said.

I stared at his retreating figure. And when he was out of sight, I tapped his locker. In an instant, it swung wide open.

_Open._

And conveniently, there were several clean pairs of uniforms inside, still wrapped up in their packaging. They were new, complete with the shades, socks and leather shoes

Have we actually been caught before we could even walk out of our "motel"?

…

Of course not! Because that would totally be scary! Though I should probably tell everyone else about this very suspicious encounter with that very suspicious man who doesn't appear to be very evil at all.

x x x

"Way to go, Rima-tan!" Yaya cried, running to me as if she were going to bowl me over. I was right. The moment I was close enough for her to grab, I immediately found myself being pummeled to the ground, the uniforms in my hand flying all over the place.

"Get off" I snarled.

"No!" she squeezed me tighter. "Yaya's been so worried! Rima-tan was all alone in there! And now she's back! And she accomplished her task!"

"We couldn't have asked for anyone more reliable" Kirishima-kun grinned, looking at me. I chuckled before finally pushing Yaya away.

"It was pretty simple, you guys!" I stated, giving Yaya a look and eventually, watching her pick-up everything I dropped. Then my face dropped when I added, "too simple. I was caught, but the guy who caught me appeared to be helping me…"

_"What?"_ Utau gasped, her mouth twisting behind the scarf. "What do you mean?"

"Well, not only did he think that I was a lost seven year-old that meant no harm at the right time," I heard them chuckle, though I decided to ignore it, "he also gave me my uniform and 'accidentally' left his locker, with a pile of complete uniforms, unlocked"

"It does seem like he's helping us. We'd better be careful…" Kairi muttered.

"Yes" Utau stated, "But a little bit of that isn't going to stop us from saving Ikuto!"

"And Fujisaki-kun" Hotori-kun added, glancing at me. When he did, I felt something built up at the pit f my stomach. What the-? Hey! Why is he looking at me? Does he know?!

"Wait. There's a problem here…" Soma-kun snarled, his voice barely above a whisper. We all turned to him, alert and nervous. He was staring intensely at the uniform, causing us all to hold our breath. For a moment, I wondered if he'd seen any listening devices.

A minute passed in silence.

Then another.

Finally, Soma-kun spoke, revealing the true cause of his anxiety.

"This suit looks really uncomfortable."

"THEN DON'T COME WITH US, _BOZU!_" Utau smacked him in the arm whilst the rest of us fell over. He chuckled while rubbing his nape.

We all changed behind a wall of some ruins, with the girls coming in first followed by the boys. By the end of it, I was shocked to realize that the uniform fit me well.

If he really was helping us, then now I know why he gave me my uniform separately. It's a smaller size compared to everyone else.

"Does this really hide our identities?" Amu asked, removing her clip before tying her hair up into a bun. "I mean, I've got pink hair. Pink! And if, say, our plan is successful, wouldn't I be on the top list of suspects? I'm the only person Nagihiko knows that has _pink _hair!"

"It's good that you know what you're getting into" Utau said. "But we don't plan on letting them see us break them out"

"We won't go as a group" Kairi told us. "We'll be doing the buddy system. We'll all separate and find the rooms where they're being kept. And if two get caught, well, the rest will try to help them. Now…" he slung his backpack to his chest then began to dig through some stuff. "These are your ID's so if someone asks, you could show this to them" he handed us all a card.

It was like the usual ID- plain white with nothing eye-catching. The fonts were black and bold, and it came complete with a name, number and task.

According to the ID, I am Takeshi Meiko, 1412, a watchdog.

I averted my gaze to my picture. Then I figured that this girl in the picture- Takeshi Meiko- didn't look so much like me. If I accidentally left the picture behind and they start looking, they wouldn't come close to finding Mashiro Rima. In the picture, my jaw looked more angled. My cheekbones were high. And my eyes, though they were still yellowish, were darker…narrower...colder. My nose was a little pointier and my smile was alien. A semi-smirk.

Still, though. Kairi made sure to include my most obvious feature to keep people from becoming suspicious when they compare the picture to me- my thick mass of yellow hair, which was scrunched up in a bun as shown in the picture.

Everyone was staring at their own ID's too, drawn to how different yet alike it was to them, and amazed by the extremely intellectual and anything but average-minded jade-haired boy's handiwork. But then we all snapped out of our trance when said "intellectual and anything-but-average-minded" boy cleared his throat.

"I should be assigning you all to your partners and we'll be ready to g-"

"No need for that, Kairi!" Yaya chirped, raising her arm. Kairi stared, his mouth hanging agape as she ran up to hug him. "I want to be your partner since you can cover up my mistakes once I mess up!"

"W-what…" Kairi stuttered, clearly not at all pleased with why he needs to team up with Yaya. Everyone else, however, agreed that the one who will be with her must be extremely reliable. Following that was a series of excuses coming from Kairi about why he shouldn't be teamed up with Yaya. His excuses, however, were only being listened to by Yaya who kept on hurling her unreasonable comebacks.

I decided that the ever-proficient genius couldn't assign us to our teammates anymore so I'd better start deciding who will be my partner. I immediately turned to Amu, eager to be with her. But then my face fell when I saw Hotori-kun standing in front of her, smiling obviously because she agreed to become his teammate.

_Oh well, _I thought in the midst of all the murderous intent, _when it comes to the friendship catalog, I bet that I'm still her number one!_

"Mashiro-san!" Kirishima-kun smiled, jogging up to me.

_Oh yeah._ I thought. _I have my other best friend!_

He gently grabbed my hand then smiled, cocking his head slightly to the side, "want to team up with me, Mashiro-chan?"

"Sure!" I smiled, before realization dawned upon me. "Wait. Mashiro-_chan?"_

"Uh…yeah…" he flushed, rubbing his arm behind his head, "You always told me to stop calling you Mashiro-san"

"Rima…san" I said, deciding that it would give him the wrong idea if I allowed him to use my name without an honorific given our current situation. "I'll let you call me Rima-san, kay?" I smiled.

If he'd notice my sudden hesitation, considering I gave him permission to say my name without an honorific some weeks ago, he did a pretty good job at hiding it. He grinned then gave me a shy smile.

"Rima…san, then" he whispered. Suddenly, his face dimmed with a heavy shade of red. "Then could you please call me…_Fuyuki-kun_?"

"Fuyuki-kun" I stated, causing his face t grow dimmer, "okay, then. Since you are also my best friend"

"Wait a minute!" Utau screeched, causing all heads to swivel to her direction. She turned to Kairi, and I couldn't help but notice how her long twin-tails no longer flowed around as she bobbed her head. Just like the rest of us girls, she had her hair tied up in a tight bun. "Sanjo-kun's with Yaya. Amu's with Hotori-kun. Chibi is with Kirishima. Then…that leaves me with…" she pursed her lips until the pink was barely visible.

_"Me"_ Soma-kun's voice interrupted the pop idol's trail of thoughts. She turned to him, her glare intensifying. "Calm down. It's not like I planned this. Besides, I'd rather team up with Yaya. That's how it's always been before everything started to get messed-up"

"Well, Sanjo-kun has been a part of my team for a pretty long time. I guess that it's best that we switch partners?" she turned to Kairi and Yaya.

"That wouldn't end well" I stated, causing all eyes on me. "Whenever we leave those two alone, they always make a mess of things. We can't risk that in a mission as critical as this"

"Well, she's got a point…" Utau said, looking Soma-kun in the eye, "I guess that I'd better see to it that you don't mess up, then!"

"No, I'll see to it that you don't mess up"

"It's a competition, then!" Utau announced. Soma-kun paused, giving Utau an incredulous look. "That's right; a competition. Whoever messes up first is the loser" she clarified.

Scared, I turned to Soma-kun, knowing fully well how much he loves to compete. He had a flicker in his eye as he stared at Utau, his expression smug and confident.

"It's a competition, then" he whispered.

"WAIT!" Amu cried. "NO ONE IS SUPPOSED TO MESS UP IN THE FIRST PLACE, RIGHT? _RIGHT_!"

* * *

**Omigod! It's done! This little monster, which is chapter 35 is finally DOOOONE!**

**And it's long. Well, longer than the amount of words in my average chapters, that is. Sorry if I strained any of your eyes, guys! Thing is, I didn't know where to end it! So many things happened here, ne?**

**Well, maybe not so many. I can still count them all in one hand. Um...let's see...**

**Kirishima gave Rima ice cream**

**Rima finally recalled that day she started to like Nagi (comes with hints of his curse *wink*)**

**Rima sneaks in headquarters...meets a weird guy...**

**Teammates are revealed...**

**And...um...well, guess there's a LITTLE more. But then I can't really point them all out. See, I don't want to make a novel within this author's note. Hee. hee...**

**Anyway, thanks for the feedbacks! And by the way, Inuyasha and Kagome aren't really the people running in the previous chapter. See, while all of this is happening, the two of them are in the feudal era, trying to retrieve one of Sango and Miroku's kids who somehow fell into the well.**

**ANYWAY...yeah...I'm sorry. I doubt that this fic will exceed sixty chapters *sob* (YANNAMI, YOU LIE!)**

**I hope that this chapter was...well...good. Feedbacks as well as constructive criticism are very welcome.**


	36. Only in the mind

**Chapter 36**

"This is getting a little bit suspicious. You two are the third pair of newbies that entered the headquarters. Can I see your ID's again?"

An ordinary person that didn't know Rima wouldn't have noticed her slightly flinch beneath the large guard's request. However, since his life practically revolved around her, Kirishima has mastered the art of reading Rima's very subtle movements.

In his mind, there is no one in this world that understood Rima more than he did.

Yes. Not even Fujisaki Nagihiko.

He was guilty, to be honest, for being displeased with Rima's decision to go save the boy. After all, he knew her _way _before Fujisaki did. He loves her way more than Fujisaki could ever do. He knew what she was like before that big turning point in her life; Fujisaki didn't.

_Why?_

Why Fujisaki? Why not him? Did he lack something that Fujisaki had? I mean, sure, Fujisaki did make him look like a noob when his female alter-ego "Nadeshiko" easily beat him at his own game. And sure, he may be strangely popular with the girls in Seiyo. But it's not like Kirishima wasn't popular with girls in his own school. And it's not like he isn't the top basketball player there either.

_While Fujisaki isn't around,_ he thought, his eyes wavering to Rima, _I'm going to do what it takes to win her over._

The man scrutinized their faces, though their eyes were obscured by the shades that came with the uniform. Then he glanced back at their ID's, his brows narrowing. The two knew that he was dangerously close to asking them to remove their shades, and Kirishima could feel Rima tensing up. So, ever so gently, he placed a hand on her shoulder.

There.

When he felt her relax, he knew he had her.

"We're in a hurry" Rima snapped in a voice booming with superiority. She crossed her arms and sneered, catching both Kirishima and the guard by surprise. "Are you going to let us in or not? Mr. Executive Director waiting for us. They're training the newcomers, and I don't want to be late"

At the mention of "Mr. Executive Director," the man's eyes instantly widened. He let the two in. Rima strutted ahead, her nose held high while Kirishima meekly scuttled behind her. When they were finally out of sight, beads of sweat started to fill up Rima's very small face.

"Thanks for encouraging me there, Kirishima-kun. That man was scary…" she whimpered. At the sight of this, Kirishima couldn't help but laugh meekly. _There_ was the Rima he knew and loved— sweet, gentle and honest. And he wasn't about to let her slip away so easily.

"Well, your acting skills were great, Mashi- I mean _Rima-chan!_" He smiled inwardly when he saw a twinge of pink trail its way to her face. "By the way, who is this 'Mr. Executive Director' you mentioned?"

Rima decided that standing around while she told her story would be a waste of time, so she rounded up the corner and proceeded to the basement with Kirishima easily following suit. "I assumed that he's their leader…or something. I heard him once. I was pretending to be asleep." She slightly shuddered at the memory. Kirishima then decided by the way she reacted that she'd rather not talk about it.

They finally reached a staircase that was dark and narrow. One would obviously think that they keep people locked up in there, so why not check it out while they were there?

"Maybe this leads to the cells." Kirishima whispered. Suddenly, he felt something tug at his blazer. He looked down and felt his face heat up when he saw Rima gripping tightly onto him, her face pink with embarrassment.

"I don't like dark places. You lead," she said. He now felt the need to keep his heart locked inside his ribcage or it will jump out and start dancing the salsa. Rima was depending on him. _His _Rima!

"That annoying hobbit, Fujisaki, might be there. We'd better hurry up"

"O-oh…" Kirishima trailed off, his smile frozen in place. "I-I see…"

The way down was pretty awkward. Rima wasn't blind. She could see it, and she hated it. Kirishima was one of her really good friends, and she honestly felt terrible for making him feel rejected. He's one of the few people she can be very comfortable with.

And that's the point! How can they avoid any awkward situations if she starts seeing him as anything that is more than just a friend? Honestly, she couldn't bring herself to think of him that way but now, it seemed like it was the only way to go. Like him, or don't like him! Keep him or lose him! Rima is a logical person, and she knew that back then before she was filled with these sappy emotions, she would've picked whatever was more convenient. And she knew in her heart that the most convenient person to pick now was Kirishima, who isn't bad at all! He is the epitome of a great boyfriend yet…she could only see him as a really good friend.

"Fuyuki-kun," she said. She could feel him flinch beneath the blazer. "Talk to me." After saying that, she mentally slapped herself. 'Talk to me'. Way to go, Rima! Such a genius! You couldn't have said anything better. Hardi-har-har…

She expected Kirishima to stay silent or say something along the lines of, "There's nothing to talk about" but instead he said,

"You…like Fujisaki…"

"Huh? What? No! He's annoying!"

"But I heard you admit it to Hinamori-san back then. You said you liked Nagihiko"

"I said Nadeshiko…"

There was a pause.

"I mean, I'm not saying that I'm a lesbian. I'm saying that I liked Nadeshiko so I was disappointed to know that she didn't exist…"

Kirishima just sighed, knowing fully well that she was lying. She was always good at doing that, but Kirishima can read her well. After all, she did teach him the tricks herself.

"Well then, I'd like to know," Kirishima realized that it was best to change the question, "how long have you known Fujisaki?"

Rima silently cursed herself for wanting him to speak. Of all topics, why talk about Nagihiko? She'd rather not talk about him until she's confirmed with her own eyes that he didn't abandon all of them. But then she couldn't just ignore Kirishima. "About a year after parting with you" she replied.

"Is he…mean to you?" he asked, shutting his eyes. He expected Rima to say "No" and rant about the things she liked about him. Instead, he got a loud, quick "Yes"

"I mean," she added, "he always comes up with annoying nicknames for me such as 'midget' and 'demon spawn' and oh! The list could go on and on! Where does he even get those nicknames?"

When she described him as that, Kirishima figured that it would be best to tell Rima about how he felt about her. She may not see him that way now, but if she knew about how he felt, she might start considering him, too.

Fujisaki didn't treat her right. But he will.

"Uh…Mashiro-san, actually I—"

"I mean, he also likes to mess with my head. He's annoying, I tell you; always so full of himself; too confident; too proud; too…"

"Mashiro-san, I—"

"He's too…"

"Rima-chan, the truth is, I actually lo—"

"He's too irreplaceable…"

That shattered Kirishima's plans. He could still feel Rima's grip on his blazer but suddenly, he wasn't so proud of that fact anymore. She would've held Amu and Kukai and all of her other friends just the same.

Friends…

He didn't see this coming.

The two continued to trudge down the endless staircase in silence. Neither could see the other's expression. _A blessing,_ thought the two. But that was at the back of Kirishima's mind. What he was thinking of now were those words said by her soft, innocent little voice.

_Irreplaceable…_

How can she say that? You could go to any rich, popular kid's home and you'll find a replica of Fujisaki. Has he been wrong about her all this time? Was his little Rima actually just like those other girls who went for the richer, better, more popular boys?

_No! _he mentally scolded himself for thinking that. _Rima was your first friend! She made you a better person! This is the girl you've been chasing all your life! How could you think such a thing?_

"Fuyuki-kun…" Rima tugged on his blazer, stopping him. He looked back at her and felt his heart skip a beat. She kept her head down, her bangs obscuring her eyes.

_This is it, _he thought. _Rejection._

"I'm really…scared…"

_Huh?_

"Darn it…" she whispered, her voice croaking. "Why is it that whenever I'm with you, I tend to be more honest with myself..."

"Rima…chan…"

She gripped his blazer tighter then bowed her head a little more. "Honestly, I'm doing all of this and I'm not even sure if I'll really see him. I know now that the percentage of him leaving all of us to live with a fiancé is low but that makes the percentage of him giving himself up to them high…"

Kirishima looked down and took note of how her feeble hands shook as she went on.

"T-the thing is, Kirishima-kun, these people aren't forgiving at all. I knew that. I knew that all along but I want to hold onto this bit of hope. So I'm here. Still…" Rima paused, as if saying the next words would cause her to break down. "Kirishima-kun, _if_ everything doesn't end well and…_if_ I can't see him again, as a friend, will you be there for me?"

Something within Kirishima leapt. He had a huge chance of winning her over if, and only if, Fujisaki isn't saved.

_Don't think that! _He thought to himself as he gathered Rima up and pulled her into a hug. He couldn't help but notice how tiny and soft she was. Despite her assertive and strong ways, he was still filled with the desire to protect her.

_But I can't hug her like this if we manage to save Fujisaki, _he tightened his hold on the blonde, _Just in my thoughts, then. Just in my thoughts will I wish that Fujisaki won't be saved.  
_

Suddenly, the moment was interrupted by a loud, booming siren. Kirishima and Rima abruptly let go of each other and looked around, shaken and alert.

"Is that a fire alarm?" Rima said, rubbing her eyes a little bit and gaining her composure. As if it was answering her question, a loud, mechanical voice screaming "INTRUDER ALERT" began to echo across the halls. Scared, the two quickly ran down the stairs, only to be greeted by a door. Surprisingly, it was unlocked. But unfortunately, it was filled with people working for the so-called family. Rima almost melted in relief when one of the members looked at them and said, "You two! Go to the fire exit now and make sure that those intruders can't get away!"

Slowly, Rima glanced over the man's shoulder where she could see a huge compilation of CCTV monitors. Then, she felt the air getting knocked out of her. There, all over the screen were Utau and Kukai running as a mob of guards quickly sprinted after them.

"Wait. How do we know they're intruders?" Kirishima wondered. The girl that was intently watching the monitors looked at him, shocked.

"Look closely would you, kid? That girl is clearly Utau no matter how many times you look at it! We've been chasing after her all this time so even if she disguises herself, we can still tell if it's her!"

_Unless she's dressed up in a chicken suit, _Rima thought.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't notice…" he whispered. Then he turned to Rima, looking very nervous. "Let's go guard the exits"

"Yes!" Rima nodded, and with that, they were off.

x Somewhere in the headquarters x

He couldn't believe this. Here he was, offering Mikuru her freedom and she goes and taunts him. Suddenly, he was overwhelmed with the desire to be with Rima. Because even though Rima taunts him, she wouldn't ask *cough* demand *cough* him to kiss her in exchange for a hairpin.

Wait. But Rima could make him do worse.

Let me rephrase what I said.

Suddenly, Nagihiko was overwhelmed with the desire to be with Amu or Yaya or Tadase. The three of them would just give him the hairpins without asking for anything in return!

"It's simple, Nagihiko-kun!" Mikuru smirked, inching her face closer to his. For the first time since he met her, her green eyes glinted with excitement and she was smiling. Still smiling with a malicious intent but at least it wasn't so deep and gloomy. He suddenly missed her deep and gloomy smiles. Was he ever going to see her happy not because she's taunting someone?

"Listen, Mikuru-chan…" Nagihiko gulped, his business smile frozen in place. "A kiss to me is a really big deal. You see, if I kiss you, I'll turn into a girl"

"And I'll turn into a boy!" she giggled, causing shivers to run down his spine. He expected that. After all, why else would he be locked up with her if there was nothing unusual about her? "And I don't mind staying here a little longer with you, Nagi-chan!"

_N-Nagi-chan? _Nagihiko thought, beginning to panic.

"Listen, Mikuru-san. My friends are out there and I want to help them somehow. But I can't do that when I'm trapped in here"

"Oh!" Mikuru said, her lips pouting "When you're reunited with them again, you'll leave poor Mikuru all by herself!"

"Of course not!"

"Then you need to promise me. And what's a better way than a kiss?"

"A pinky swear"

"It has to be a kiss!"

He sighed, feeling his shoulders sag. The alarm was still ringing and time was running. For all he knew, Kukai who was, for some odd reason with Utau, could be jumping off the window in his desperate attempt to get away. And where was he? Here, stalling all because he didn't want to surrender his manliness for the millionth time by turning into Nadeshiko.

"Okay, then. But only on the—" he never got to finish his sentence because suddenly, Mikuru grabbed both his cheeks and crashed her dry lips into his. Around three seconds passed before he got to thaw out of his shock. Then, he pushed her away, his face jet-beet red.

"Yay! I got to kiss Nagi!"

_Nagi?_ He thought as he wiped his lips with the back of his hand. He then turned to Mikuru, who was at the happiest point he's ever seen her in. _Looks like she hasn't transformed yet. _

"You satisfied? Now hand over the hairpin" he said, holding his hand out.

She held it up then grinned. Then, just as she was about give it to him, she tripped over air and fell down, causing the pin to go flying past the cage's bars and into a distance too far to reach.

Nagihiko, now as Nadeshiko, stared at it, her expression blank, her face as white as paper.

"I-I think I have more lost somewhere in my hair. But you'll have to kiss me again…"

Mikuru's voice has become a lower octave. Nagihiko abruptly turned to her and sighed. 'She' was a guy now, still malnourished but with a longer, more angular face and a messier mane of dark hair. She also had stubbles covering her upper lip and chin. The only things that didn't change about her were those piercing green eyes.

Nagihiko's breath hitched. Even though he's a girl now, what could be more awkward than kissing a guy? With stubbles! "Life is a dreadful thing…" he sighed, bringing his now slender and feminine fingers up to his heart-shaped face.

At that very moment, a woman walked in. She was twirling keys around her long fingers while humming a tune beneath her breath.

_She works here…_ Nagihi- err…_Nadeshiko _thought, narrowing her eyes. _She's not the usual guard assigned to watch over us, though…_

The woman stopped humming and turned to them. Then a cheeky grin made its way to her face when she saw their genders. "Wow! You kissed? Couldn't help yourselves, aye?"

Nadeshiko groaned, turning away. To her surprise, Mikuru stayed silent. Then the woman inched closer, straight blonde hair flowing. The boy-turned-to-girl wondered to herself why she didn't have it tied to a bun like the rest of the female workers. She also thought that there was something fishy about this one. She seemed almost nice.

"_Oops!"_ the woman cried as something hard and metallic clang against the floor. Nadeshiko looked down and felt her eyes widen when she saw the key at her foot. "It looks like I dropped the key for this cell. Could you please give it back? I can't reach it!" she smiled, slightly stretching her hand out to Nadeshiko. Nadeshiko slowly bent down to pick it up and examined the key. She felt around its sharp edges and its slightly rounded handle. It was cold, she noticed. Then, she glanced at the woman, slightly shocked.

The woman was still smiling as she held her hand out, as if the thing that she dropped wasn't a very important key; as if the one holding it wasn't the prisoner. With a smirk, Nadeshiko grabbed Mikuru's wrists, which were slightly thicker compared to the last time she held them and unlocked the door. She swung the gate open then quickly took a step out.

They were free.

"Oh no! You got away! This is bad!" the woman cried, running after them. When she was an arm's length away, Nadeshiko slung the key back to her waiting hands.

"Thanks!" Nadeshiko said, a side of her lip twitching up a bit. She gave the woman a salute before leaving the area. Then the woman shouted, though she doubted that the two could hear, "Y-you're not supposed to be thanking me. I'm a bad guy, okay? When the workers ask how you got away, tell them that you beat the key out of me, okay?"

* * *

**Hi, everyone! Okay, I know that everything lately has been in third person speech. You don't mind, right? A lot of things are happening, and it might be limited if I keep it in Rima's point of view. Anyway, hint for these two workers! One of you reviewers got who the first one is! When you figure out who it is, you might also figure out who this latest one is. Heehee. Haha…haaaaa…**

**Anyway, I'm thinking of editing the first few chapters of this fic, so if you've got A LOT of time in your hands and if you're feeling very bored, feel free to reread it to see the difference to the original. So far, chapter one is done!**


	37. Found!

**Chapter 37**

There.

Rima slumped herself down the wall as she sighed in relief. She could see a CCTV monitor from where she stayed, and it looks like Utau and Kukai got away for the time being. They couldn't be seen through the monitors, and it looks like the guards had lost them. Still, that wasn't enough to assure Rima. She grabbed her cell phone then dialed Kukai's number. It took about three rings before he picked up. And when he said "Hello," he sounded exasperated.

"You guys okay?" Rima asked quietly, cupping the phone and her mouth as an attempt to hide the fact that she was making a call in the middle of doing work. You know…in case there are cameras in the area, which didn't make much sense, really, since her ponytail snapped and now her hair was down. She looked just her usual self. No disguise, no shades to hide her identity.

"Y-yes…" he gasped, and Rima mentally cried in glee for hearing Kukai out of breath for the first time! "But you guys should be careful. It looks like they're in high alert now"

"Don't worry. They think we work here" she whispered. Then, a thought came to her mind. "By the way, where are you guys?"

Kirishima, who wanted to hear Kukai's reply, leaned in closer to the phone's speakers.

"We went down a chute and now we're in a pile of clothes"

"Gross"

"Aww, it's not that ba—" Kukai was cut off by the sound of Utau's voice. From what Rima could hear, the idol seemed to be saying something like, "gross" and "no time for calls" and "out of here" and "ramen after".

"Call you back!" Kukai said before hanging up. Rima sighed at the phone, deciding that getting carried away was a big no-no.

"Takashi-san!"

Rima's head jerked up. That surname was familiar.

"Takashi Meiko-san!"

Where had she heard it again?

The person who's been calling the name gave out an aggravated sigh for getting no response. Then, after huffing a breath he said, "Newbie with the ID Takeshi Meiko!"

_Oh that's me! _Rima thought. She abruptly turned her head and nearly smiled when she saw Kairi and Yaya walking up to them.

"What are you doing here?" Kirishima asked.

"We were also assigned to watch over the exit!" Yaya squealed, removing her shades. Kairi pushed his glasses up, slightly annoyed by how Yaya wasn't trying to blend in at all. _At this rate, _he thought, his brows scrunching up a little, _we're going to get caught…_

"So tell," Rima snapped, "have you found either Ikuto or the ugly hobbit?"

"Ugly hobbit?" Kairi muttered, confused. Yaya pat him in the shoulder then said, "It's what Rima-tan calls Nagi"

"Why?" asked Kairi. Yaya seemed to think about it for a moment. Then she said, "I guess it's because she doesn't like him? Or maybe it's their way to show affection towards each other"

Kirishima quickly spun around to see Rima's reaction. She was slowly becoming red, though from the frown, it looked like she was red because of anger.

"Denied! What affection? What's so affectionate about Nagihiko?"

"Don't worry," Kairi sighed, glancing over at Yaya who was huddling behind him, obviously clueless. "She didn't mean the romantic type of affection. I'm sure she meant the friendly type. She always says things that could otherwise lead to misunderstandings"

"O-oh…" Rima and Kirishima muttered, both red in the face. For a moment, Rima wondered how Kairi could know Yaya more that she did when she's known her for years, and he's known her for merely a few hours. However, the thought was cut off because the guard that had stopped Rima and Kirishima at the entrance suddenly came into view. Rima was the first to react. Her eyes widened and all she could do was mutter a soft, "Oh my gosh…"

"Should we run away?" Yaya whispered.

"We shouldn't. Maybe he just wants to give us further instructions, and I say that running away would just arouse his suspicions…" Kairi said, pushing his glasses up.

"YOU INTRUDERS STAY THERE! I AM TAKING YOU STRAIGHT TO THE TORTURE CHAMBER!" the man yelled, digging a gun from his pocket and pointing it at them.

Kairi felt Yaya grip him in the arm.

"Yaya says that we should run!" she cried. Then, with a quick jolt of motion, he could feel all of the wind whizzing past his face. She was dragging him like a rag doll, and he decided to feel the shame of it later on. Beside them, also leaving behind a trail of dust was Kirishima, dragging along a Rima whose mind has yet to take in the events.

The bullets strafed the air around them, and the first bullet to ever get fired streaked past Kirishima's ear, close enough to knock some of his hair aside. It was then that he remembered that they were flesh and blood, and one stroke of a bullet could mean death. Even if they run at full speed, there's no way that he can outrun a bullet.

"STOP OR I'LL SHOOT AGAIN!"

He couldn't risk that. Not when Rima's so close to the danger zone. So, he stopped. So did Yaya. And together, they held their hands up.

"Good. That's nice. Now, I want you all to—"

_BANG!_

Four eyes widened in fear as a bullet went through the guard's right shoulder, causing blood to seep through his uniform. His eyes widened as he let go of his gun, his left hand flying to cover the wound. He then clenched his teeth and looked back at the person who had shot him. When he saw his attacker, his eyes narrowed until they were merely slits. "Hey, how'd you get away?" he grumbled, not sounding at all like he was in any pain. Rima tried to look past the guard so she could see who fired the gun. Was it a friend or a foe? If it was a foe, then their fate was clear: imminent death.

"You could say that I beat the key out of one of your workers" was the reply of the attacker. _Female, _Rima thought.

"And where'd you get the gun?" asked the man.

"Quit stalling. Face me and put your hands up!"

"Oh, but you're forgetting something," the man said, moving his legs a little bit.

As he did that, Rima caught a glimpse of the attacker and felt her stomach flip. It was Nagihiko. He was the attacker. He was the one who saved them. However, before her mind could let everything sink in, in one fluid motion, the guard managed to kick his gun up, catch it, swing around and shoot Nagihiko straight at the chest. The sound of the bang was spine-tingling and dreadful. When Rima witnessed Nagihiko fall down, her blood ran cold.

"I am a professional, and I've been through much sticker situations than this" he finished.

Something clouded Rima's eyes making everything look blurry the moment that everything became clear.

_Nagihiko was shot._

_Nagihiko is dead._

"N-no…" she gasped, placing a stiff hand over her mouth. Her eyes went wide, the tears endlessly running down her face. _T-this can't be happening. It can't be. N-Nagihiko can't be…_

Yaya and Kairi, both at the back, couldn't really see what was going. They began to worry. It's rare to see Rima break down like that. After sighing, the guard turned back to them. Yaya, Kairi and Kirishima froze. The people here were ruthless. And they witnessed it when the attacker was shot.

"Now you know that I'm not kidding arou—"

_SWOOSH_

All four of them watched, eyes wide, as the man froze before falling forward. They waited. And waited. And when he didn't move for several seconds, they all decided that he was out cold.

Now, the first thing Rima did was glance at Nagihiko, who lay several meters away from them. She didn't care to figure out why the man suddenly fell over. The thing was, with the big man out of the way, she got a clear view of him. And when she saw him lying on the ground, limp and unmoving, she was sure that there was no chance.

"I-is that Nagi?" Yaya cried, horrified as her eyes travelled to the boy. Rima didn't want to be the one to reply. She didn't want to be the one to confirm it. She just sat there, staring at him, the tears not willing to stop.

Then, from nowhere, they heard the voice of a boy, "Gosh, I aimed well with this tranquilizer ne, Nagi-chan?"

Rima, Yaya, Kirishima and Kairi turned as they heard footsteps nearing them from behind. There stood the skinniest boy they've ever seen. He was so skinny that they could barely make out the shape of his skeleton; so skinny that for a moment, Rima thought his thick, scruffy hair would make him fall over.

"Nagi-chan, you're wearing the bullet-proof vest, right?" he said, walking past the four so he could get to Nagihiko. Rima's eyes widened. _Bullet-proof vest?_

"No way…" she gasped, bewildered, as she scuttled behind the boy and knelt down next to Nagihiko.

"Hey! Who are you?" the boy gasped, giving Rima a nasty glare. But Rima decided to ignore him. She just stared at Nagihiko, currently in the form of a girl. When she saw that his eyes were closed, her heart sank and she felt her eyes begin to heat up once again. But then he twitched, groaned, and opened one eye. Of course, the heat in Rima's eyes never went away.

"What's this? My ribs hurt. Couldn't that bullet-proof vest be a little bit thicker?"

"Nagi!" Yaya cried, kneeling next to Rima. Following her were Kirishima and Kairi. The skinny boy was taken aback. He wasn't used to being around so many lively, healthy-looking people!

"W-who are you people? Stop surrounding my Nagi-chan!"

"N-Nadeshiko, can you hear me?" Rima asked, not bothering to hide her desperate expression when she loomed over him, her eyes locking with his. Nagihiko opened his other eye and stared as Rima's face came into focus. And then he sighed. "M-Mikuru-san, I must've taken the hit. I can see Rima-chan…"

"Who's Rima-chan?"

"What nonsense are you sputtering, you ugly hobbit?" Rima cried, her glad expression not really matching what she was saying. The tears were out-of-control now as they fell freely down her face.

"Mikuru-san, I'm hallucinating. I may be going crazy, too!"

"Too? Who's the other crazy person you're referring to, Nagi-chan?"

Rima giggled before hugging Nagihiko and burying her face into his chest. She missed this. She wasn't going to admit it out loud but she missed this. A lot.

"Yay! Nagi! Yaya missed you!" Yaya cried, looking straight into his glassy, brown eyes.

"Oh, great. Now I'm seeing Yaya-chan too and— _ugh!_" he gasped as Rima tightened the hug. In the midst of his shock, He wondered how a hallucination could cause him so much pain.

"Hey! Who are you people? Evaporate! Go! Stay away from my Nagi-chan! Shoo!" the skinny boy cried, waving them all off but to no avail. It was when Rima pulled away from him did everything come crashing down.

"Rima…chan? Is that you?" he gasped, wincing as he sat up. She could only smile. Widely, must I add? "No, _Nadeshiko_. I am but a figment of your imagination. You are turning delusional!"

"Wait. Why are you here? Didn't you make it perfectly clear the last time we met that you didn't want to be anywhere near me?"

Kirishima's eyes widened. Yaya opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Kairi watched the scene with mild interest while the skinny boy sat there, protectively wrapping an arm around Nadeshiko. Rima would be lying if she claimed that the boy, 'Mikuru' was it, wasn't getting on her nerves. But she didn't really want to focus on anything else but Nagihiko. Still, she decided that she'd rather not talk about that incident in the blizzard now, and what better way to change the topic than to pretend to be oblivious, hence, flustering him in the process?

"What? Nadeshiko, what are you talking about? I don't remember you being there the last time I was with your brother!"

"_Ack!" _Nagihiko froze, cold sweat trickling down his forehead. "F-forget what I said, Rima-chan! A-anyway, why are you here?"

"Aww! Does Naddy not want to be with me?" then, to his surprise, she grabbed his arm and hugged it. "Rima is offended. Naddy, do something about it."

Nagihiko was inwardly freaking out. Not only was Rima here for reasons that he will never know. She was also being unusually cuddly, and he was more than aware of the spiteful glare that her childhood friend was throwing at him. _Why?_ Why was she acting like this? And if he's Nadeshiko, why was Kirishima staring at him as if he was something to eat?

Meanwhile, Yaya was tilting her head to the side as she stared at "Nadeshiko" in curiosity. She was naïve, not stupid. And she already knew about the curse. She's sure that this person here was Nagihiko, but she didn't get why Rima was pretending not to know. Most of all, she didn't get why Rima, of all people, was cuddling up to him like that.

"U-um…Rima-tan…"

"Oh yes!" the blonde beamed, glancing at Yaya. "Introductions! Nadeshiko, this is Yaya, one of my closest friends. And Yaya, this is Nadeshiko. She's Nagihiko's twin brother. Remember? I mentioned her before!"

All thoughts of this person possibly becoming Nagihiko was wiped-off Yaya's mind. She grinned, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Nadeshiko from head to toe. "Wow! She's so pretty! Just like Nagi!"

Nagihiko's smile froze. Was that really supposed to be a compliment? To Nadeshiko it was but to the real him? Uh…

"Excuse me," Kairi said, catching everyone's attention. "Shouldn't we take care of the guard before anything else?"

They all directed their gaze to the guard. He was still out cold, but they knew that he would eventually have to wake up. Rima smiled, taking her phone out before dialing a number.

"Kukai," she started once the person on the other line pick-up. Nagihiko felt his eyes widened. _Oh yeah! Weren't they the reason I tried to escape in the first place? _"Hey, where's that chute you went into awhile ago? Mhmm…mhmm. Got it!" she shut the phone and glared at the unconscious guard. "So, I know this good place to dump him in"

After throwing the man down the chute, Kairi decided that it was time to get serious. They found a deserted corner and formed their little circle there as they spoke in hushed voices.

"So, first of all, that guy knew that we were impostors. That's something to think about. How could he have known?"

"Well," Nagihiko said, his voice still high and feminine, "I was told that he asked the boss about you guys and found out that they haven't had any newcomers since last month."

"Well that makes sense," Kairi said, pushing his glasses up. Then, he froze as some kind of realization dawned upon him. Quickly, he turned to Nagihiko, an eager look in his face. "Hey, wait a minute. Who told you that?"

"Some guy…"

"Yes, because 'some guy' is totally a specific answer" Kirishima muttered under his breath. Rima looked at him, surprised by how cold and distant he was acting. He couldn't help it, though. They had him for a few minutes and already, he was acting like he was some sort of leader. And most of all, he already had Rima wrapped around his pinky when all he had to do was play dead.

"Hey! It's mine and Nagi-chan's little secret! Don't butt in!" Mikuru cried, clinging on to "Nadeshiko's" thin arms.

"Mikuru-san, it's fine," Nagihiko smiled, patting him on the head, "Kirishima-kun does have a point. I think that it's best they know…"

A "Humph" was all that the childhood friend could utter. He was undeniably guilty, to be honest, for being disappointed when Nagihiko opened his eyes. Whenever he reflected on how glad he was when he watched him get shot, he couldn't help but feel disgusted with himself. He's a sick bastard. This jerk did nothing wrong to him. Except maybe take away the girl of his dreams— the girl he could never live his life without. And maybe he is making him look slightly like a douche right now. And maybe this Fujisaki bastard is slowly causing him to dig his own grave to hell. And yeah, he did beat him to a pulp in the only game he took great pride in.

_But really, other than that, he's not really doing anything wrong,_ Kirishima thought, a stiff smile appearing on his face.

"Huh? No! Then we won't have our own little secret anymore!"

Now it was Rima's turn to feel the rage. She narrowed her eyes, now sure that this guy was flirting with Nagihiko— as Nadeshiko, of course, but still. And now that she thought about it, Nagihiko never introduced this "Mikuru" to them. He was just sitting there, rather comfortably, his attention solely on "Nadeshiko", must I add? Who was he? Why was he clinging so much to hi- uh…her?

_Tell that guy that he's unconsciously being gay by flirting with you!_ She thought, hoping that it would make a connection so Nagihiko would do just that. But of course, she's no psychic.

Nagihiko paused for a moment before starting, "Actually, one of the workers here told us that. He's also the one who gave us the gun, tranquilizer and bullet-proof vest"

"He didn't really give it to us, Nagi-chan!"

Rima twitched, finally noticing how this guy called him Nagi-chan.

"Well, it's more like he 'accidentally' dropped it for us" Nagihiko shrugged, and Rima inwardly burnt with rage when she realized that he didn't seem to be bothered by the nickname at all. "Uh, Rima-chan, are you okay?" Nagihiko asked, turning to Rima. The blonde just shrugged and mumbled, "I'm just wondering where Nagihiko is."

She mentally smirked when she saw his arms stiffen.

"Wait a minute," Kairi said, his eyes widening. He turned to Rima, who stared back at him.

"What?"

"Mashiro-san, didn't you say something about a similar guy? You know, the one who helped you with the uniforms?"

Ever so slowly, her caramel eyes began to widen. So he helped Nagihiko, too? Wait. That's really fishy.

"Ne, Nadeshiko. How did this guy look?" Rima asked, her thoughts suddenly straying away from the mental drama she was going through. Nagihiko bit his lower lip.

_He's hiding something, _she thought. _He's going to lie._

"I didn't see him very well. He was wearing a disguise,"

"Lies!" Rima said, tilting her nose up. "You're just like Nagihiko! Before you lie, you also bite your lip!"

"Oh, really?" Nagihiko smirked, a teasing look appearing on his face. Kirishima and Mikuru twitched, noticing how things between them were about to turn into a full-on flirting game. "Ri-ma-chan! How do you know that? Don't tell me that you like ogling at my brother!"

"_What?"_ Rima squeaked, fully aware that this was Nagihiko teasing her, which didn't make such a difference, really. He does this to her, even in his male-form, but no matter how many times he does, it never failed to fluster her. "Nadeshiko, maybe I do like to _observe_ your brother but only because I like knowing his weaknesses. It may come in handy one day, you know, to know whether or not he'd rather break his ankle or his arm"

He has had enough of anything that is gory. Nagihiko was smiling on the outside, but in the inside, he was panicking, thinking that Rima was slowly becoming like Mikuru.

Kairi brought a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention. "Back to the topic," he started. "We can't ignore this. Tell the two other teams that we need to regroup. We need to get out of here first"

"But what about Ikuto?" Yaya asked, tilting her head to the side. "Utau-chi wouldn't want to leave without him! We promised we'll help her save him," she paused before saying in a much softer voice, "we promised…"

"But we can't accomplish anything either if we're caught ourselves. We need to take extra precaution, especially now that something fishy is going on. When we get out of here, I will hack to the computers here and look through all the staff. Mashiro-san, you will tell me who you saw"

"Don't worry, Sanjo-san" Nagihiko said, his voice low. "You don't need to go through all that. Just get Tsukiyomi-kun out of here and leave"

"We can't not worry, Fujisaki-san," he said, staring the boy (currently a girl) in the eye. Rima couldn't help but notice how he said 'san' instead of 'kun' and felt a twinge of gratefulness for knowing that he was playing along with her. "This could be a trap for all we know."

"It's not," said Nagihiko, his eyes dead serious. "I know it's not. Just trust me"

There was silence as the two just stared at each other. Several second passed and finally, Kairi was the first to look down. He made a sigh of defeat and once again pushed his glasses up. "Okay. I trust you. But everyone else here also needs to trust you if—"

"I trust her!" Yaya smiled, shooting her hand up.

"Me too!" Mikuru followed.

"Whatever she says," Rima said.

Soon, everyone was looking at Kirishima. He sighed then lazily put his hand up. "Okay, then! I trust the girl, too!"

The next voice jolted the five teens up. It was foreign. And it was female. But the most shocking thing about it was that it was coming from Mikuru's direction.

"Yay! Nagi-chan! Y'hear that? They trust you!"

'Nadeshiko' was frozen in place when Mikuru, now completely reverted back to her female form, jumped up to give him a tight hug, blind to everyone's shocked expressions. With everything that was going on, he completely forgot that the time you remain in your opposite gender was limited, and it completely backfired. I mean, yes, Mikuru wouldn't care if everyone found out that she could change genders (she's not going to get beaten to a pulp for it), but Rima was smart. She could easily make the connection. Everything about Nadeshiko is suspicious and if it clicks, she could figure out that the same thing that happened to Mikuru could also happen to "her". And who could Nadeshiko's male alter-ego possibly be?

Obviously not Godzilla!

"Mikuru…turned into a girl" Rima murmured, her expression blank. Nagihiko gulped, knowing that the silence meant that her mind was making the connections. He was right. In that short stream of silence, her mind was processing things at top-speed. But the thoughts there weren't what Nagihiko had thought.

Rima already knew about the curse. She also knew what triggers it. So obviously, of all the things running through, one stood out: "Nagihiko is a jerk." How could she be so blind? How can she not wonder why she was faced with Nadeshiko instead of Nagihiko? After seeing Mikuru revert back to what seemed like her original gender, everything clicked.

The clinging, Nadeshiko, the skinny boy, the curse…

No matter how absurd it seemed, it has to be the only logical explanation (well, logical in her standards, anyway; lately, nothing's really been logical in Rima's world).

Mikuru and Nagihiko kissed, thus, changing them both to their opposite genders!

"Say, where do you think Ikuto's locked up in?" Rima stated, her voice and expression empty.

"I don't know, but maybe we should check the basement?" Yaya shrugged, as if she hadn't seen anything strange.

Kirishima, who still hadn't made the connection, wondered why the atmosphere around him has suddenly changed. Sure, Mikuru turned out to be a girl but so what? They were well aware of the curse.

"Wait! A-aren't you guys going to say anything?" Nagihiko asked, slowly peeling Mikuru off him. Yaya shrugged and looked at him, a smile lighting up her face.

"There was really nothing surprising about seeing Mikuru-kun turn into a boy, Naddy!"

You could see the childish innocence glint from her eyes. Turns out she hasn't made a connection yet, either. She was just really unfazed. After all, she already knew about the curse so what's so surprising about witnessing a transformation with her own eyes?

"Yeah. It's not surprising at all!"

Rima's eyes, however, were different. She was smiling, but an evil glint was there. No one knew the dread of that glint better than Nagihiko for he used to see it every single day. And whenever that glint was there, only god knew what tragedy would strike.

"Ah, but, Mikuru-san just turned into a girl," he said, pointing at Mikuru who was giving Rima a quizzical look.

"Yes. I suppose she did."

"Nagi-chan! Just leave her alone! I don't like how that munchkin is treating you!"

For a split second, Nagihiko could've sworn that Rima's eyes widened before she turned away from him.

"C'mon, Nagi-chan!"

"Mikuru-san, can I talk to you for a moment," he said, deciding that Rima was in no mood to be taunted and Mikuru needed to know this. He gripped the girl's wrists, thinner now, before walking away with her.

"Oh, just take your time, _Nagi-chan!_ Have fun with your girlfriend!" Rima yelled before smirking as she watched him trip over air in shock over what she said.

"W-what did you say, Rima-chan?" Nagihiko squeaked, looking over at Rima when he had recovered from the fall. Kirishima, Kairi and Yaya watched the scene in interest.

"I didn't say anything, Nagi-chan. It was all in your mind!"

"I-I-I'll make this fast!" He pulled Mikuru along with him and quickly disappeared inside the men's room. Rima could feel a tick mark appear on her forehead. If she didn't already know, then going straight to the men's washroom without thinking was a total giveaway.

"Rima-chan, what was that just no-"

"Ssh," she placed a finger before Kirishima's lips, though her eyes were still focused on the room Nagihiko had disappeared into. "Let's not mention it until they tell it to us themselves, Fuyuki-kun."

"Mention what?"

Kirishima realized a second too late that he shouldn't have said that because suddenly, he felt a heavy weight of sad, deadly energy as Rima turned to him, the pretty smile she wore not matching her deadly eyes.

"That they're dating, silly!" she chirped a-little-too-happily as she entwined her fingers together before bringing it up to her chest. "Fuyuki-kun, don't be so dense!"

Now, let's take a breather, shall we, as Kirishima witnesses for the first time the little devil Rima truly is.

Breath in.

Breath out.

Okay.

"R-R-Rima-chan, are you okay?"

"Of course! I've never been better!"

Then he realized, with utter dismay, the reason she could be acting like that. "Rima-chan, are you jealous?"

He felt a painful pang when he saw Rima's face fall, the deadly smile no longer "lighting up her face."

"No," was what she said, but he also saw her stare longingly at the door, her hands fumbling restlessly with the rim of her blouse. She didn't say anything afterwards, and he realized that she was stuck to her own trail of thoughts.

* * *

**Yehey! Early update! Whoo! I meant to update once a week but I got this chapter done fast. I'm still on break now, too, but that's going to be over soon *sigh* so I'll try to update fast!  
**


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